Protected by the Moon
by Sunlight Halation
Summary: Usagi is beyond angry when she finds out that her friends were keeping a secret from her. She decides to distance herself from them and spend more time with her family, only to discover that her entire life has been a lie.
1. Existence Is Futile

A/N: 1. Ok, so the summary of this story implies that it will be a betrayal fic. Before I get reviews (specifically guest reviews) from readers who value originality and cannot _stand_ when people use the "overused betrayal plot" of Usagi's friends turning on her and kicking her off the team, resulting in her leaving and then coming back to show everyone she's changed, even coming back with replacements for the Inner Senshi, PUT. THOSE. BRICKS. DOWN. Though this story may or may not have some moments similar to those of the classic betrayal fic plot, I promise it will surprise you.

2\. Unlike my previous stories, this story is manga-based, taking place after the Dead Moon Circus arc, meaning everyone has achieved their Eternal forms and Tuxedo Mask has unlocked his Golden Crystal, but their personalities will be from the 90's anime.

3\. This story is set in the 21st century. I can't tell you how badly I wanted to see the Senshi using modern technology in the anime. Surely I'm not the only one who's pictured Usagi playing Fruit Ninja or Angry Birds on an iPad (called FinePad in _Crystal_ ), or Minako taking massive amounts of selfies on an iPhone (will be called FinePhone in this story), right?

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of its characters.

* * *

"IT'S GONNA BURN! IT'S GONNA BURN!"

"NO, IT'S NOT! STOP PANICKING!"

Usagi and Chibiusa ran down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Usagi hurriedly put on a pair of oven mitts and cautiously opened the over door to remove a circular metal pan. After setting it down on a baking rack, she removed her oven mitts with a flourish and let out a relieved sigh. "See? I told you it wouldn't burn! And look at it! It looks delicious!"

Chibiusa gave the cake a suspicious look. "I don't know, I've learned from experience that looks can be deceiving."

"Hey! When I let you lick the cake batter, you said it tasted good!"

"Yeah, well, now I think I must've been hallucinating and I should probably get my affairs in order!"

After a few more minutes of squabbling, Usagi and Chibiusa removed the cake from the pan and frosted it smoothly with buttercream icing, then decorated the top with a ring of roses made of red frosting.

"Finished!" Usagi declared, wiping some red frosting off her cheek.

"I have to admit Usagi, this actually does look pretty good!" the future Senshi of the Moon complimented, her eyes twinkling with delight at the cake. "It's about time you found something you're good at other than drawing!"

Usagi ignored the jab from her future daughter. "And it's thanks to the ever-patient Mako-chan, who taught me how to bake at the expense of her kitchen!" She cringed as she recalled the times she went over to the Jovian Senshi's apartment for baking lessons and plastered the walls of the kitchen with flour, frosting, eggs, and occasionally cake batter.

Thankfully, Makoto had the patience of a saint and assured Usagi that she would clean up the messes herself, however the blonde had often heard Makoto sobbing at how her "pristine kitchen had been defiled".

"So, are you going to shovel down this cake with some strawberry soda and a manga?" the pink-haired girl asked cheekily.

"That does sound pretty good..." Usagi tapped her chin thoughtfully, but shook her head. "But no, I'm going to give this to Mamo-chan before he goes to work tomorrow!" Her cheeks turned a rosy pink color. "He'll be so grateful to me for baking him a cake filled with such love and affection!"

"EHHHH?! No fair! I can't let you hog all the glory! I helped with that cake too!"

"Fine! You can come with me when I deliver 'The Usagi Vanilla Rose Cake Special'!"

"Why is it only _your_ name involved in that title? I want some credit too!" Chibiusa demanded.

"Alright! Alright!" Usagi cupped her chin as she thought. "We'll call it, 'Double Moon's Miracle Cake'!"

"Double Moon's Miracle Cake," Chibiusa repeated, trying out the name. After a moment, she nodded vigorously with approval. "I like it! The name has character!"

 _CRASH!_

A loud crashing sound made Usagi and Chibiusa jump out of their skins and bolt out of the kitchen.

Chibiusa sped into the living room and jumped on the couch, burying her face in a pillow. "I hate storms!" she expressed, though it came out a bit muffled.

Usagi tried to make it to the stairs, but when lightning flashed by the living room window, she paused and let out a shriek. "KYAA!" She promptly closed the curtains then hopped on the couch, bringing a pillow up to her face, mimicking her future daughter's actions.

At that moment, Ikuko entered through the front door, carrying wet grocery bags. It was obvious that she hadn't expected the sudden storm as she was dressed in a sundress, which was now soaked and clung to her body. "Weathermen these days... so unreliable," she grumbled, wiping a strand of wet blue hair out of her face. When she noticed her daughter and alleged niece sitting on the couch and covering their faces with pillows, she gave them a peculiar look. "Did the storm frighten you two?"

Without taking the pillows off their faces, Usagi and Chibiusa nodded.

A small smile played on Ikuko's face as she shook her head. "I swear, sometimes you two don't act like cousins. You're more like sisters!" she remarked before sauntering off to kitchen with the groceries.

That comment made Usagi and Chibiusa remove their pillows, revealing their flushed faces as they gave each other aghast looks.

"BACK OFF, YOU CAT!"

Both girls jumped at the loud voice and realized it was coming from upstairs. They reluctantly got off their safe place on the couch and headed upstairs. They followed the noise to Usagi's room and fought the urge to laugh when they saw the source of noise had come from Shingo.

Shingo was curled up in the corner, fearing for his life as Luna approached him menacingly. When he noticed Usagi and Chibiusa snickering at him by the door, he shot them a glare. "Usagi! Call off your cat!"

"Hm, I don't know. Luna isn't normally a violent cat, so you must've done something to provoke her."

"All I did was check out that brooch of yours!" Shingo pointed to Usagi's Eternal brooch that was on the nightstand.

Alarm, then anger, flashed across the odango-haired blonde's face. "What were you doing messing with my brooch, Shingo?!" She then turned to Luna with a proud smile. "Good job keeping him away from my property, Luna!"

After the black cat crept away from Shingo, he slowly stood up with his back against the wall. "I was just walking to my room, minding my own business, when I walk by your open door and see something glowing on your nightstand!" he informed. "I go over to check it out, and I find out it's another one of those brooches you wear! I open it up and see some weird glowing crystal! Apparently, that was the wrong thing to do, since Luna came and tried to slice off my face!"

Usagi rushed over to her nightstand to inspect her brooch and noticed that the Silver Moon Crystal was in fact, glowing. She closed down the lid of her brooch and glared at her younger brother. "She was right to do that! You shouldn't have been touching my stuff!"

Shingo huffed. "What kind of crystal is that, anyway? It looks like it costs a fortune! There's no way _you_ could've bought anything that nice, Stupid Usagi!"

Usagi glanced at Chibiusa, who was still standing by the door, for an answer, but she only shrugged. "The crystal is actually a glow-in-the-dark trinket I thought would look nice in my brooch!" she managed to say. "It's not expensive at all! You can get it at a gift shop for 1000 Yen!"

Shingo looked skeptical. "But why do you always get a new brooch for that thing?" he asked. When Usagi looked confused by his question, he went on, "I've noticed you've gone through a lot of brooches in the past two years. Were they really for that dumb crystal?"

Usagi was a little surprised that Shingo had noticed the transformation brooches she wore in the past, but she covered up her shock with feigned anger. "I was just trying to figure out which brooch looked best with the crystal, which is _not_ dumb!" _'I've saved billions of lives with it, including yours, you little troll!'_

"Whatever!" Shingo rolled his eyes. "It's actually pretty embarrassing that a high school girl who's going to turn 16 would want a glow-in-the-dark toy!" He finished with a laugh as he left his older sister's room.

Once he left, Chibiusa quickly closed the door behind him.

"That little brat," Usagi grumbled.

Luna hopped on the bed then onto Usagi's shoulder. "You're lucky I was in here to stop him before he could do anything foolish to the crystal."

"Speaking of which," Chibiusa hopped on the bed near Usagi, "was it really glowing like he said?"

Usagi's only response was a grim nod.

Luna nervously scratched the top of her head with her paw. "What could this mean?"

"The Silver Crystal normally glows when there's danger," the Moon Princess recalled.

"But why didn't the crystal in _my_ brooch react like yours did?" Chibiusa looked down at the brooch she wore on her blouse.

"I don't know. Maybe my crystal was reacting because someone unworthy to wield it was near," Usagi theorized, setting her brooch down on her pillow.

 _BOOM!_

 _CRASH!_

A flash of lightning and a thunderous boom caused both Soldiers of the Moon to cry out and jump in Usagi's bed, hiding under the covers.

Luna sweat-dropped at the girls' behavior. _'Hard to believe you two scaredy cats are worthy to wield such powerful artifacts...'_

"USAGI! CHIBIUSA!" Ikuko's voice boomed from downstairs. "WHY DOES THE KITCHEN LOOK LIKE A WAR ZONE?!"

Usagi and Chibiusa shot up from under the covers and gave each other sheepish looks before they headed back downstairs to face the blue-haired housewife's fury.

* * *

That same evening, at the Hikawa Shrine, Rei sat in front of the Sacred Fire, chanting a few prayers. She thought meditating would take her mind off the storm. Clasping her hands together with two index fingers pointing outwards, she chanted, "Rin, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!"

To her surprise, the flames started to dance wildly and displayed a peculiar image.

"The... the Solar System?" Rei realized.

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and the Moon were shown in the Sacred Fire.

Though the Martian Senshi appreciated the image of the planets, she was confused as to why the Sacred Fire chose to display such a vision, but was soon dismayed by a truly startling sight.

One by one, dark shadows covered the planets like thick veils, including the white moon, with its pure light being shrouded in darkness. The last planet to be corrupted was Earth. Once the shadows took hold of it, it corroded the blue and green planet until it crumbled away into specks of dust floating through space.

Rei drew back in horror at what she'd seen. She got up and ran away, bursting through the sliding doors, breathing heavily as she stared up at the cloudy sky. She didn't care about the pouring rain drenching her from head to toe; it was worth it when she saw the clouds part and the white moon shine down on her with its pure light.

All at once, the rumbling ceased and the rain stopped falling. No gray clouds tarnished the night sky, leaving only the shining moon.

A small smile spread on the miko's face. She would protect that shine no matter what.

* * *

 _The next morning..._

At 6:00, Usagi was surprisingly awake and already dressed for school. With the lamp light on, she sat cross-legged in bed and drew in her sketch pad.

The rays of light from the lamp bothered Luna, making the drowsy cat open one eye at what was causing the disturbance and was floored to see her princess awake and ready for school. She was so shocked, she actually fell on the floor with a hard _THUD!_ "U-Usagi!" she exclaimed as she pawed her way back onto the bed. "Why are you up so early?! Is an enemy attacking?!" She nervously darted her head around, searching for a threat.

The Moon Princess' cheeks flushed red with anger. "Why is it such a big deal that I can wake up early?!"

"What's with all the noise?" asked the groggy voice of a child. "I can hear it all the way from the attic." The door slowly opened to reveal a tired Chibiusa. Her pink hair was loose from its odangos and she was dressed in a mint green nightgown. "W-What? Usagi! You're awake?!"

Usagi puffed out her flushed cheeks in irritation. "Is it really so hard to believe that I'm awake at such an early time?!"

Chibiusa was about to make a retort when she noticed Usagi's sketchpad. "You woke up early to draw?" She occasionally saw Usagi doodling in her sketchpad and always wondered what she was drawing, but she always looked very serene while doing so, so she couldn't bring herself to disturb her peace. She scampered over to her future mother's bed and hopped on it to get a good view. "Ooh!" she crooned.

Now fully awake, Luna hopped on Usagi's shoulder to see what all the fuss was about. "This is actually pretty good!"

Usagi had drawn a wolf, a fox, a raccoon dog, and a bunny huddled together in front of a cave with a large blue Chinese dragon coiled around them protectively. Shining on them in the night sky, was a luminous full moon.

"I didn't know you had such talent, Usagi!" Luna praised.

Usagi's cheeks turned bright pink. "It's all thanks to Michiru-san! I asked her to teach me how to draw since she's such a great artist!"

Chibiusa was also impressed, but said nothing, instead staring dreamily at the drawing.

"Chibiusa?" Usagi cocked her head at her future daughter's behavior.

"I've seen this before," the future Senshi of the Moon said at last.

"You have? But that can't be. I've been working on this for the past few weeks and you've never been around me while I was drawing it."

Chibiusa shook her head. "I've seen this at home at the Crystal Palace," she clarified. "Mama has a painting just like your drawing hanging in her room. She said it invokes strong feelings in her."

"Eh? Really?" Usagi looked back at her own drawing. "While I was drawing this, for some reason I couldn't help but feel nostalgic."

Chibiusa gave her a quizzical look. "Mama said something like that. She said while the painting made her happy, she always felt 'haunted by the past'."

 _'Haunted by the past,'_ Usagi mentally repeated. Before she could dwell on the thought any longer, her eyes fell on the digital clock on her nightstand. "I almost forgot!" She bolted up in bed, knocking Luna off her shoulder and making her plummet on the floor. "I have to deliver the cake to Mamo-chan before I go to school!" Grabbing her schoolbag, she dashed out of the door with bullet speed.

That reminder flipped a switch in Chibiusa, making her spring into action, jumping off the bed and nearly stomping on Luna as she sped out the door.

"Those two..." Luna's eyebrow twitched. She wondered how she had survived so long while in the company of those two unruly princesses.

* * *

Mamoru was sitting on the couch, watching TV, while drinking a cup of coffee when he heard thunderous knocking on his door.

"I want to give it to him!" he heard one child's voice demand.

"No way, _I'm_ giving it to him!" he heard a more mature female voice declare.

Knowing exactly who those voices belonged to, he set down his coffee and opened the door, immediately greeted by his future wife and future daughter. "Usako, Chibiusa." He stepped aside and let both girls inside, where they proceeded to stand before him rather ceremoniously, holding a container together.

"Mamooo-chaaaaaan," both girls crooned. "To you, we present Double Moon's Miracle Cake!" They removed the cover with a flourish, revealing the buttercream frosted vanilla cake they worked on.

"Oh?" Mamoru inspected the cake with a smile. "This looks wonderful," he complimented, turning to Chibiusa. "Chibiusa, you made this, right?"

"Actually, it was Usagi and me who made it," Chibiusa admitted.

Mamoru let out a little chuckle as he patted his future daughter on the head. Looking to his girlfriend, he said, "Usako, it was sweet of you to help Chibiusa with her gift."

The odango-haired blonde's face scrunched up in confusion. "But it was me who—"

"And Chibiusa," he turned back to the pink-haired girl, taking the cake from her, "it was nice of you to let Usako help you, considering the messes she normally makes in the kitchen."

Chibiusa blinked in uncertainty, but played along. "O-Of course! I am a caring, generous soul, after all!" she boasted.

Usagi looked crestfallen, but anger soon graced her pretty features as she turned around sharply, slipping her shoes back on and leaving her boyfriend's apartment, loudly announcing, "I have to get going to school!" To properly showcase her vexation, she loudly slammed the door.

Both Mamoru and Chibiusa flinched at the noise, wondering what made Usagi so upset.

"Usagi! Wait for me!" Chibiusa called, hurriedly slipping her shoes back on as she exited the apartment.

 **~0~**

After Chibiusa caught up with Usagi, she was prepared to complain about how she left without her, but when she saw how steamed the blonde looked, she held her tongue.

"I can't believe you just took credit for the cake!" Usagi finally exclaimed. "I was the one who actually made it while you only helped decorate!"

Chibiusa blushed and lowered her head in shame. "S-Sorry about that..." she muttered. "But next time you make him something, I'll let you have all the credit!"

"But that's just it! I wanted to give him something nice before I left!" Usagi clasped her hands together with a dreamy look. "Something to let him know he'll be in my thoughts even when I'm thousands of miles away!"

The pink-haired girl gave her a puzzled look. "What are you talking about?"

A wide grin spread across Usagi's face. "I didn't tell you? In the next two weeks, Ami-chan, Mako-chan, Minako-chan and I will be off on a school field trip overseas!"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHH?!" Chibiusa's mouth hung open and her eyes were bigger than her odangos. "No fair! You guys are jetting off somewhere cool and leaving Rei-chan behind!"

Usagi pouted. "It's not like she's being left out on purpose! The field trip is for those who go to Juuban Municipal High School and Rei-chan goes to a classy, all-girls private school!"

Chibiusa folded her arms and huffed. "It's still unfair that I'm being left behind!" Little teardrops hung from her eyes as she wistfully spoke, "I never get to go anywhere fun!"

"What about your home in the 30th century?"

The future Senshi of the Moon's self-pity came to a halt as she looked to Usagi with befuddlement. "Huh?"

"Don't you go to places all over the Earth as part of your duty as the princess?" Usagi clarified.

Chibiusa was astonished by the question, but she shook her head. "I always traveled all over Japan, but I never left the country. Mama, papa, and the Inner Senshi said it was safer if the Crown Princess of the Earth and Moon stayed in the country of her birth," she said with a bit of an edge. She was over 900 years old, a full-fledged Sailor Soldier with an evolved Sailor Crystal, had her own team of Sailor Guardians, yet she was still treated like a baby by her parents and the older Senshi. Was it because she was the only one who was physically a child? The Sailor Quartet were younger than the Inner Senshi, but they were physically in their teens. _'After all the battles I helped their younger selves fight, you'd think they'd finally see me as a strong Soldier worthy of inheriting the Sailor Moon legacy.'_

Noticing the dejected look on her future daughter's face, Usagi tried to cheer her up. "Well then, I'll be sure to get you a cool souvenir while I'm away!"

Chibiusa's youthful face brightened up at her future mother's promise. "Thanks, Usagi." She blushed and looked away, suddenly feeling shy. "By the way, where are you going?"

An impish smile settled on Usagi's face as she let out a few giggles.

* * *

"LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA!"

A loud squeal filled the hallways of Juuban Municipal High School, belonging to none other than Minako Aino.

"Minako-chan, people are staring..." chided a flustered Makoto Kino.

"Well, let them stare at some of the lucky students who get to travel overseas to America!"

"It's supposed to be an _educational_ field trip," Ami reminded.

The Venusian Senshi scoffed. "How can they honestly expect us to focus on education with all the sights we're going to see!" she countered. "Like the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Little Tokyo!"

"And the Universal Studios and the Santa Monica Pier!" Usagi gushed.

"And Rodeo Drive and the Los Angeles Zoo!" Makoto added.

"And the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Griffith Observatory!" Ami expressed with a shy smile. When the others gave her odd looks, she blushed furiously and looked away. "S-So, we all have everything in order, right?" she asked, wanting to take attention off herself.

"I have all my forms signed and I just got my passport renewed!" Makoto said.

"All I have to do is take a cute new photo for my passport, and I'm good to go!" Minako informed.

"What about you, Usagi-chan?" Ami questioned when Usagi didn't immediately speak.

The Moon Princess pouted. "My passport recently expired and there isn't enough time to get it renewed before the trip!"

"Oh, well, you could just use your birth certificate."

"I've been looking all over my house for it, but I can't find it anywhere! And my parents don't seem to know where it is either!"

Makoto gave her an odd look. "How could your parents not know where your birth certificate is?"

Usagi tapped her cheek thoughtfully. "Well, they never actually _said_ they didn't know where it was, but they've never given me an answer," she explained. "Whenever I start talking about my birth certificate, they get distracted and start talking about something else."

"Hmmm..." Ami hummed, cupping her chin. "That sounds a little suspicious."

"It can only mean one thing!" Minako announced. "Usagi-chan," she approached Usagi with a serious expression and rested her hands on her shoulders, "you're adopted!"

Ami and Makoto dropped dead at the bow-wearing blonde's statement, while Usagi stared at her with her mouth trembling and slack-jawed.

"Just think about it!" the blonde went on. "Any normal parent would answer any questions their child would have about their birth certificate! Unless they weren't their _actual_ parent!" She draped an arm around her princess' shoulder and continued dramatically, "The reason your 'parents' won't answer your questions is because your birth certificate is with your _true_ mother and father, who regret giving their precious Usagi-bunny-baby away, but still keep in contact with the couple they gave you to, so they can stay updated on what's going on in your life!"

Once Minako was finished with her dramatic theory, everyone stared at her as if she had snakes for hair.

"Or..." Makoto started, still nonplussed by Minako's adoption theory.

"I'm certain Usagi-chan's parents would tell her if she's adopted," the blue-haired genius stated with a chuckle. "And Ikuko-san and Kenji-san's absentminded behavior should be proof that they are, in fact, Usagi-chan's biological parents."

That remark produced a choked sob from the Moon Princess as she clung to the Jovian Senshi for support. "Ami-chan, you spend too much time with Rei-chan!" She sniffled, wiping her eyes on Makoto's uniform.

After few moments, the bell for first period rang and students flooded the hallways until they reached their respective classrooms.

"Oh no!" Usagi exclaimed, wiping a few tears from her eyes. "I just remembered I didn't do my homework!"

With a small smile on her face, Minako opened up her schoolbag and reached inside, shuffling through papers and other school necessities until she found an orange folder and a pencil. After taking a piece of paper out of the folder, she erased her name and replaced it with Usagi's. "Here you go, Usagi-chan!" She placed her homework assignment in the odango-haired blonde's hands. "You can have my homework!"

Usagi gaped the Soldier of Love's generosity and at the fact that she had actually done her homework. "Minako-chan! I couldn't!"

Minako waved a dismissive hand. "Yes, you can! It's fine!"

Though Usagi was a bit relieved to have her homework dilemma, she could not, in good conscience, pass Minako's work off as her own. "I don't know about this..."

"Don't worry about it! I _insist!_ " Minako assured. Before Usagi could refuse her charity any longer, she grabbed her firmly by the wrist and led her off to class.

 **~0~**

At 1:00, Usagi wandered around outside, looking for a nice place to eat lunch. Finally, she found a nice-looking bench in the sun. Once she sat down, she opened her bento and dug in, noisily enjoying her meal.

"Usagi-chan!"

With the tail of a shrimp hanging out of her mouth, Usagi looked around for the owner of the voice until she saw Makoto jogging up to her. After sucking the tail of the shrimp into her mouth and devouring it completely, she greeted, "Mako-chan!"

"Usagi-chan," the Jovian Senshi handed Usagi a bento contained in a green bag, "the cooking club needs me to help prepare a full-course meal for the club exhibitions later this week and I won't be able to eat lunch this period, so you can have my bento!"

"EEEEEEEEHH?! Are you serious?!" Usagi looked back and forth between Makoto and the bento she'd given her.

Makoto giggled and nodded. "Yup! It's the least I can do after all the kindness and friendship you've given me over the years!"

The Lunarian Senshi's cheeks flushed bright pink. "Aw, well if you _insist,_ I guess—" Before she could even finish her sentence, Makoto was already gone. With a shrug, Usagi continued to enjoy her lunchtime, ecstatic that she now had _two_ bentos.

 **~0~**

At 3:30, school let out and students went to their lockers to change from their indoor shoes to their outdoor shoes.

Usagi trudged over to her locker, with her stomach nice and full from her double bento lunch. After taking out her outdoor shoes, she bent over with a groan to put them on.

"Usagi-chan!"

Once the blonde got her shoes on, she rubbed her stomach and faced the one who called out to her. "Ami-chan!"

"Usagi-chan, I want you to have something." The Soldier of Wisdom reached into her schoolbag and took out a translucent blue folder with papers inside, gently placing it in Usagi's hands. "These are the notes for the entire history unit we're going over."

If Usagi had a wrench, she would use it to pick her jaw up off the floor and tighten it. "Are-Are you serious?!" she exclaimed. "When did you even have the time to do these?!"

"I had trouble sleeping last night, so I decided to take notes until I fell asleep," Ami said casually.

Usagi sweat-dropped at the blue-haired girl's cavalier attitude about something so unusual. "Ok... But are you really serious about giving me your notes?"

"I am! There's even a filled out test review packet in there!" Ami informed. "Oh! I almost forgot!" She reached into her bag once more and took out a small, red, heart-shaped tin with a black ribbon tied around it. "It's a box of chocolates from Minako-chan! She couldn't give them to you herself since she has plans after school, so she asked me to deliver them!"

"Wow, really?! I'm so lucky!" Usagi happily accepted the chocolates and held them with the notes she received from the Mercurian Senshi. "Tell Minako-chan I said tha—" But before she could express her gratitude, Ami was already gone.

* * *

Usagi walked back to her house with a smile on her face, humming a little tune called _Fall in Love with the New Moon._ Not only did Minako solve her homework problem, but she also received a second lunch from Makoto, notes from Ami, and even a box of chocolates from the Soldier of Love which she planned to devour as soon as she reached her home.

But still, something gnawed at her. Her friends had been acting very strange for a while. Whenever they were at the shrine studying, Ami would help Usagi with any problem she was having trouble with, not even telling her to try it on her own like she normally did. The Ami she knew abhorred it when people sought the easy way out for answers instead of working hard for them.

She couldn't remember the last time she got into an argument with Rei. The shrine maiden hadn't once teased her or started an argument with her, instead offering her snacks whenever she visited the shrine and even letting her borrow her manga, which she was normally so stingy about.

Makoto always found some excuse to give her some kind of treat. Though the Jovian Senshi was the "resident chef" of the Senshi and Usagi was the "certified taste tester", her culinary presents had become more and more frequent in the past few months. She made Usagi breakfast, lunch, to-go dinners, even a strawberry shortcake, her favorite dessert, whenever she asked.

And Minako started treating Usagi to "super fun girls' nights out", taking her to the park, the arcade, her favorite restaurants, and even getting her tickets to the new Sailor V movie _months_ in advance. When Usagi asked the Venusian Senshi about her sudden burst of generosity, she said she was merely being a good companion to her dear friend and princess. She even once jokingly stated it was because Usagi looked so much like her and she couldn't help but put a smile on a face similar to that of the Goddess of Love and Beauty.

 _'They must be vying for my extra ticket to the Sailor V movie,'_ Usagi theorized. _'And Minako-chan must be trying to persuade me into giving her the ticket too. I know how interested she'd be in seeing a movie about herself.'_ She giggled at the thought. But wait... If Minako could get her two tickets to the Sailor V movie, surely she could get one for herself, right? After all, she is, or _was_ Sailor V.

The Moon Princess had no more time to dwell on the thought, however, as she finally reached her home. As soon as she opened the door, the first thing she saw was Shingo looking disdainfully at her.

"Stupid Usagi, why weren't you with Chibiusa?" he sneered. "She walked in here looking half dead and could barely make it up the stairs!"

Usagi's eyes grew wide and her mouth popped open at the news. _'What's wrong with Chibiusa? She looked fine this morning. Could she have caught a cold?'_ she wondered. She wanted to ignore Shingo's glare, but the bratty child clearly wanted an answer from her. "Something at school kept me," she said, not wanting to mention her delay was because she had gotten chocolate from Ami.

Shingo rolled his eyes at his sister. "You're so unreliable!" the younger boy mocked, not noticing the stern look he was getting from his father, who was sitting in a recliner and reading the paper. "I don't know where mom and dad found you, but I hope they return you and get me a new sister!"

 _Smack!_

Kenji got up from his chair and smacked Shingo on the back of the head with a rolled up newspaper. "Shingo! Usagi is your elder sister! Show her some respect!"

"Sorry..." Shingo muttered, rubbing his head.

"And Usagi, you and Chibiusa should be extra careful whenever you come home from school." Kenji unrolled his newspaper and showed Usagi a section titled, _"Mysterious Disappearances Occurring All over Tokyo"._ "Over ten people have gone missing in the past few months, so don't stay out to late for a while," he advised. "But if you absolutely _have_ to, I suggest you go with one of your friends, especially that tall girl, Makoto or even your... boyfriend, Mamoru," he said with a cringe. Though he wasn't all that fond of Usagi dating someone three years older than her, he appeared to be accepting of the strong young man capable of protecting his daughter.

"I understand, papa," Usagi said. Though the number of missing people was definitely concerning, she was a little nonplussed by it. Perhaps the years of fighting the forces of evil desensitized her to normal human threats. Desensitized or not, she would definitely be looking over shoulder for a while.

"What's all this excitement about?" Ikuko asked upon entering the living room with a plate and a washcloth in her hand.

"Mama," Usagi slowly approached her mother, "I need to know where my birth certificate is. I won't be able to go on the overseas field trip without it."

The blue-haired housewife's eyes slowly darted around the room as she slowly wiped the already clean plate with her washcloth. "Oh, well... It should be in a box in the basement."

"Thanks, mama!" Usagi made her way past her mother and over to the door leading down to the basement. With a shudder, she opened the door and carefully stepped down the creaky wooden stairs. One time, when she was 10, she had tripped down those same steps and received splinters and several bruises. That was the first time she had ever been klutzy and ever since the incident, she had blamed those "vile, slippery steps" for her lack of coordination. It had been nearly six years since then, and she was still afraid to venture down the stairs.

Once she reached the bottom of the steps, she let out a heavy sigh of relief. Her sapphire blue eyes scanned the monochromatic area until she spotted several boxes resting in a gray corner. She swatted away cobwebs as she walked, until she reached the boxes, kneeling down to open one of them. A small smile played on her lips when she saw dozens of old video tapes. _'I remember these,'_ Usagi thought as she picked up a tape labeled, _"Usagi's first steps"._ "Oh man! Did they _really_ have to record _this?_ " She cringed as she held up a tape labeled, _"Usagi's first time on the toilet"._

Being the sentimental parents that they were, Ikuko and Kenji made dozens of home movies of the key points of Usagi's life, from her first steps to her first day of high school. They used to store the tapes in the attic, but since it was converted into a room for Chibiusa, they moved them down to the basement.

The odango-haired blonde sifted through all the tapes until she felt the soft touch of paper at the bottom of the box. With a squeal of delight, she pulled the paper out of the box and held up the desired document; her birth certificate. _'Finally!'_ she mentally cheered. She held her certificate close to chest as daydreams of her vacationing in Los Angeles with her friends flooded her mind.

But first, she had to check on a certain pink-haired terror.

 **~0~**

Covered in a protective layer of blankets and pillows, was a shivering Chibiusa. The pink-haired princess was trembling like a dog Usagi had compared her to one time. Sometime during school, cold chills went up her spine and the next thing she knew, she was coughing like mad, prompting her friend Kyuusuke to ask if "she wanted any toast with that lung butter". The coughing got so bad, she had to be sent to the nurse where she was given some cough medicine and a few lozenges. But not even those seemed to help her. She hid her coughing from her classmates and even from her dear friend Momoko until school was over.

Usagi had already alerted her via their Senshi communicators that she would be a little late to pick her up. Not wanting her future mother to know of her sudden ailment, she told her she would walk home by herself. Though she started to regret it as she wished she had someone with her when she started to feel faint. Her uncle Shingo wanted to help her to her room, but she kindly refused his aid, stating she was fine, although her pitiful hobbling up the stairs betrayed her words.

A brutal tickling sensation assaulted her throat as she was overcome with violent coughing. As she covered her mouth with her elbow, she wondered what could have caused this strange illness. _'Wait a minute,'_ she thought, her ruby eyes widening with realization. A groan escaped her as she concluded, _'This is because of my late night snacking...'_ Unbeknownst to the other members of the Tsukino family, for the past week, Chibiusa had been sneaking out of her room at night to go down to the kitchen and take desserts out of the fridge. But because she was so afraid of being caught, she ate in front of the open fridge until she was done. _'Of course it was a bad idea to go downstairs **without shoes** and sit on the **cold** floor, eating **cold** treats, in front of the **cold** fridge.' _What a mess. And she was supposed to hang out with Hotaru later this week.

"Chibiusa!"

Chibiusa's head popped up from under the blankets and the first things she saw were two blonde odangos coming up the stairs with the adult body of the Moon Senshi coming into view shortly after. The future Moon Senshi noticed she was carrying a silver tray with a white teapot and teacup.

"Shingo told me you weren't feeling well, so I brought you some orange jasmine blossom tea!" Usagi set the tray down beside Chibiusa.

"Oh, thanks!" Chibiusa held the teacup in her slightly trembling hands and sipped the hot tea. Its sweet taste reminded her of the treats Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Juno would sneak to her during stuffy dinners with visiting dignitaries. The looks on their faces when Sailor Venus and Sailor Ceres caught them were _hilarious._

Usagi regarded Chibiusa with a look akin to pity. To her, she looked like a sickly child; her bubblegum pink hair was free from its usual hairstyle, but it was wild and matted. The shine in her ruby red eyes dimmed a little and her skin was looking a little pale. "So, uh... How are you feeling?"

"I've got the chills and I've been coughing like crazy," Chibiusa said, taking another sip of her tea. "But my throat doesn't hurt, which is weird."

The Moon Princess tilted her head. "Hm, I wonder how this happened." She tapped her chin in deep thought. She suddenly snapped her fingers and said, "I know! Maybe it's because of your late night escapades to the kitchen!"

Chibiusa flinched, but didn't meet the blonde's intense gaze, instead pretending to be fascinated by her rippling reflection in the tea.

"That's right, I know you've been sneaking food out of the fridge! Did you honestly think that _I_ wouldn't be aware of how many snacks are in this house?!"

The pink-haired girl's pale cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Of course the eternally-feasting Usagi Tsukino would keep track of all the delicious treats. She needed to make sure there were some for herself, after all. Her eyes nervously darted around the room as she wiggled her fingers around her teacup. "So... are you all packed for your trip to Los Angeles?" She hoped the mention of the overseas field would be enough to distract the blonde.

Luckily, it was.

Usagi's anger evaporated in a flash and was replaced with panic. "Oh my gosh, I'm not! I've been so busy looking for my birth certificate, I haven't packed a single thing!" She bolted up and frantically looked around the attic as if it contained anything that could help her with her dilemma. When her eyes landed back on the ill Chibiusa, she felt a little guilty for placing a field trip over her future daughter's health... But the field trip was going to be so much fun! "Ok! So, um... Get lots of rest, drink plenty of tea, eat healthy food, stay away from the fridge, call in sick for school, and get better!" she said in one large breath before sprinting out of the attic, nearly tripping down the steps.

Chibiusa's eyebrow twitched at the blonde's zeal. With a sigh, she continued to drink her tea.

* * *

 _The next morning..._

"I'M OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOFF!"

The front door burst open as Usagi bolted out of the house with her schoolbag clutched in her hand and Luna hanging on her right shoulder with her tail end flailing in the wind.

"Usagi! What's the hurry?!" Luna questioned, struggling to stay onto the princess' shoulder. She didn't know Usagi had this much speed and stamina, and now she wished she'd never chosen to go with her to school.

"I have to get to school early so I can bring my birth certificate to the office and have someone check it so I can go on the field trip!" she exclaimed as she ran, sharply turning a corner. But as soon as she did, she ran straight into someone, resulting in the both of them falling to the ground.

When Usagi realized she was in an undignified position, she quickly sat upright and clapped her hands together in an apologetic gesture. "I'm so sorry!"

The sound of a head being scratched and a groan filled the silence. "Usako?"

Usagi snapped her head up and realized she had bumped into her beloved prince. "Mamo-chan!"

Mamoru picked himself off the ground and dusted off his tank top and jogging pants. "Usako, you shouldn't be running so recklessly in the street. It isn't proper for a girl, especially not for one who's the future Queen of the Earth and Moon."

Sadness flashed across the Moon Princess' face; she was clearly hurt by the Earth Prince's admonishing, even more so when he didn't make a move to help her up. "I'm sorry," she apologized, scooping Luna up and placing her back on her shoulder.

"Why are you in such a hurry, anyway?" Mamoru questioned.

"I just wanted to get to school early so I could confirm some things and be able to go on the overseas field trip," she explained. She felt a twinge of pain when she noticed his eyebrows shoot up in surprise, as if the idea of her being early for anything was completely out of the realm of possibility. "I-I'll really miss you, Mamo-chan." She mustered up a small smile.

"You won't be gone long," he said, shrugging off her sentiments.

Usagi's smile nearly crumbled. "R-Right..."

"Well, I'm going to finish jogging. You run along to school and try to keep up this sudden punctual behavior." He soon brushed past Usagi and continued to jog without another word.

Usagi watched her boyfriend's retreating form with a hint of sadness, but snapped her head back in the direction she was heading, this time walking slowly.

"Usagi-chan, don't you want to get to school on time to present your birth certificate?" Luna asked.

The blonde shook her head. "I woke up early, so there's no need to rush," she said in a flat tone.

Luna was surprised and a little concerned about the Moon Senshi's slow gait and emotionless tone, but didn't know what to say to cheer her up. Her daughter was much better at pep talks.

 **~0~**

Once Usagi made it to school safely, Luna left her side and proceeded to go back home with Artemis.

The Lunarian Senshi headed to the school office and approached the front desk where she was greeted by a chubby woman with black hair tied in a low bun, wearing thick-lensed glasses, akin to those of Gurio Umino.

"How can I help you?" she asked.

Usagi reached into her schoolbag and pulled out her beige birth certificate. "I'm turning this in instead of a passport so I can go on the Los Angeles field trip."

"Ooh! Thank you very much!" She accepted the document from the blonde and gingerly placed on the desk beside her. "I hope you have fun overseas!"

 **~0~**

"Hey Minako-chan, you can speak English pretty well, right?"

It was lunchtime, and Usagi and Minako were sitting on a bench eating their bentos.

"Of course!" Minako answered, slurping up some ramen. "Thanks to my time in London, I can speak fluent English, why?"

Usagi's cheeks flushed bright pink. "Well, since I can't speak English very well, I wanted you to stay by my side when we're in Los Angeles and translate some things for me."

The Venusian Senshi's face softened. "Of course, I will. I wouldn't leave my dear princess' side in her time of need."

A wide smile spread across Usagi's face, but it wavered when she noticed the look in Minako's eyes. The gentle blue eyes of the Princess of Venus that almost matched her own, always filled with zeal and spirit, were filled with an emotion that Usagi couldn't quite place. Was it sadness? Or perhaps pity? "Minako-chan..."

"Yes?"

Usagi looked away and trained her eyes on her bento. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

Minako cocked her head to side. "What do you mean?"

"You, Ami-chan, Rei-chan, and Mako-chan have been really nice to me lately," Usagi said in a quiet tone. "But is it because I'm your princess," she paused, opening and closing her mouth like a goldfish before asking, "or because you have something terrible to tell me?"

Shaking her head, Minako placed a tender hand on the Moon Princess' shoulder. "Usagi-chan," she spoke in a soft tone, bringing the princess' eyes back to her own. "You're our dear princess and best friend. We're nice to you because we love you. If we had something bad to tell you, we would just say so instead of trying to hide our shame with generosity."

Usagi's face brightened up at the bow-wearing blonde's affirmation, feeling a bit silly for doubting her and the others. Of course the cheery leader of her Guardian Senshi would want to spoil her princess and make her feel as happy as possible. It was not only her duty as a guardian, but as a friend.

With that resolved, the two blondes went back to eating their lunches. Usagi happily ate her chicken tempura, while Minako slurped up more ramen, drawing the eyes of students passing by.

 **~0~**

After school, Usagi went to her locker to change her shoes. To her dismay, there was gum on one of her outside shoes. "Ugh," she groaned. Not knowing whose mouth it was in or where it had been when she stepped in it, she left it be and slipped her shoes on. As she was walking out of the school building, a husky female voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Tsukino-san!" Jogging up to Usagi was the plump woman from the front desk at the office. Once she caught up to her, she stopped to catch her breath, hunched over with her hands resting on her knees. "Tsukino-san," she let out a breath as she stood up straight with her face flushed, "there is something we need to discuss."

"What is it, Nakano-san?"

Mrs. Nakano reached into the pocket of her dress and pulled out a folded up document. "I noticed something... _odd_ with your birth certificate." She unfolded the certificate and adjusted her swirly-lensed glasses. "You see this spot above the doctor's signature?" She held up the certificate for Usagi to see and tapped on the aforementioned spot with her blue-painted finger. "There's supposed to be an official government seal above the signature of the doctor who delivered you, but it's not there."

Worry was etched across the blonde's face. "What exactly are you saying?"

"I'm saying, this is not an official birth certificate, and therefore cannot be used for you to go overseas." Mrs. Nakano handed the fake document back in the confused student's hands. "This is an informational copy at best and I suggest you get the original one."

* * *

Chibiusa knelt down on her bed with her eyes shut, looking as though she were meditating. Because of her constant coughing and pale appearance, Ikuko and Kenji insisted she stay home from school, which proved to be a blessing for her. With her future mother and future uncle away at school and her future grandparents at work, she now had the privacy to do something a tad reckless.

With a deep breath, she held out her hands in front of her. The air shimmered above her palms and soon a pink, lotus-shaped crystal materialized. _'This is my best option. Hopefully, I'll soon be rid of this primitive illness.'_

Back in her home in the 30th century, sickness was nearly extinct when Neo Queen Serenity took the throne. But that was mostly thanks to Sailor Mercury. With the miraculous healing powers of the queen and the genius intellect of the Soldier of Wisdom, Mercury was able to use a mixture of magic and science to create phenomenal strides in the advancement of medical science to the point where prophylactic care, such as vaccines and personalized medicine reached a point where diseases were prevented or controlled before symptoms developed.

When Chibiusa questioned why her mother couldn't just eliminate all illnesses and bacteria with the Legendary Silver Crystal, Mercury stated that it would be inhuman of them to prevent the growth and life cycle of the largest biomass on the planet with microbes that shared their world.

Taking a few more deep breaths, she raised her Sailor Crystal up high. "Pink Moon Crystal—"

A thunderous set of steps rushed up the stair to the attic bedroom followed by a panicked cry.

"CHIBIUSA!"

The pink-haired girl's concentration broke and the Pink Moon Crystal dissipated into shimmering lights. She slowly turned to see an irate Usagi across the room. "U-Usagi!"

"When I felt the energy of your crystal, I thought there might be an enemy nearby!" With a few large strides, the Moon Princess made her way over to her future daughter's bedside. "But I don't see any enemy! What's the meaning of this?!"

Chibiusa nervously twiddled with her fingers. "...I was going to use my Pink Moon Crystal to get rid of my illness."

Usagi's mouth hung open. "W-What?! What were you thinking?!" she exclaimed. "You can't use your crystal to deal with something as mundane as a _cold!_ "

The future Senshi of the Moon scratched the back of her neck. As much as her pride forbade her from admitting it, Usagi was right. Their crystals were supposed to be used to help people and enforce the laws of love and justice. Her using it on herself simply to get rid of a cold was incredibly thoughtless and selfish. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"Yeah! And—" Usagi cut herself off in surprise. It wasn't like Chibiusa to ever say she was right about anything. The blonde did a once over of her future daughter, noticing the bags under her eyes and her skin had become paler. Not the lovely, porcelain pale skin tone Hotaru had, but more of a light gray. _'Maybe it's not just a cold...'_ Usagi thought. She put a hand to her chest, as if she were about to summon her own crystal, then brought it back down to her side. The corner of her mouth curled up in a smile as an idea came to her. "Let's go see Mamo-chan."

* * *

The two Senshi of the Moon walked silently down the path to Mamoru's apartment, with Usagi holding Chibiusa's hand the whole way, making the two look more like the future mother and daughter they were rather than the constant bickering sisters they always appeared to be.

Normally, Chibiusa wouldn't let Usagi hold her hand like she was some kind of child (she was 902 years old, after all), but with the wobbly way she'd been walking, she was grateful for the support. "So why are we going to Mamo-chan's again?" she asked. Not that she minded spending a little more time with her future father.

"Mamo-chan may not be able to become a Senshi like us, but he has healing powers of his own," Usagi reminded. "Remember how he sustained your life after Mistress 9 stole your soul? Maybe he can use his power to get rid of your cold!"

Chibiusa's scarlet eyes widened at Usagi's reasoning. "That's actually a pretty good idea! How nice of you to suggest something like that!"

Usagi tossed her head with a giggle. "I am a caring, generous soul, after all!" she boasted, calling back to what the pink-haired girl said the day before.

"Whatever!" Chibiusa rolled her eyes.

After that, Usagi and Chibiusa continued on without another word, unaware of the marble black eyes watching them from around the corner.

 **~0~**

 _Knock! Knock! Knock!_

 _Knock! Knock! Knock!_

Two knuckles rapped lightly on the door of the Earth Prince's apartment.

Chibiusa's face scrunched up with a frown. "He's not answering."

Usagi made an identical face. "That's weird. I know he came home from work an hour ago," she said, tapping her chin. With a snap of her fingers, she exclaimed, "Aha!" She reached into her pocket and took out a small silver key. "It's a good thing I have this! The key to Mamo-chan's apartment which he gave me as a sign of our flourishing love!"

Chibiusa's eyebrow twitched. She knew Usagi and Mamoru were close, but didn't think they were close enough for Mamoru to give Usagi a key to his home. And that made her wonder... How often did Usagi go to Mamoru's apartment? And how long did she stay? And did she and Mamoru ever...

"Come on!" Usagi gently grabbed Chibiusa by the arm, interrupting her racy thoughts, and lead her into the Earth Prince's apartment. The first thing Usagi's eyes landed on was the green jacket on the couch. _'He's definitely here,'_ she concluded. She remembered the numerous times when Rei teased Mamoru about his fashion sense and begged him to go shopping with her so they could pick out new clothes for him. The odango-haired blonde soon wandered off into the kitchen and immediately went into the fridge.

Chibiusa frowned at the sight and put her hands on her hips. "Are you honestly thinking of food right now?!"

Usagi ignored her future daughter and continued rummaging through the fridge, eventually taking out a slice of the cake she and Chibiusa made. "It's not for me, it's for Mamo-chan," she explained, setting the cake slice down on the granite counter then retrieving a bottle of water from the fridge. "After work, Mamo-chan likes to take a nap. When he wakes up, I'm going to give him some cake and water to help him recharge!"

Chibiusa's shoulders drooped. "O-Oh, ok." She didn't realize Usagi could be so caring. _'Of course, she is. She has the purest heart of anyone I've ever seen,'_ she thought with a hint of envy. Would she ever grow up to have a pure heart like Usagi? She hoped so. Maybe then, would she finally achieve her dream of becoming a real lady. _'And maybe Helios would see me as more than just a sweet maiden.'_ A rosy glow burned on her cheeks as her thoughts drifted to the handsome priest of Elysion.

Suddenly, a deep, masculine groan echoed throughout the apartment, obviously belonging to none other than Mamoru.

 _'Mamo-chan must be awake now,'_ the pink-haired princess realized, sauntering off in the direction of the groan. Her search led her to a door that was opened just a crack. The closer she got, the louder the groaning became. _'Oh no! Is Mamo-chan in pain?! Maybe it's something he caught from me?'_ She rushed up to the door and was about to burst in when she heard another moan. A more... _feminine_ moan. She slowly pushed open the door to see what her dear future father was doing and...

Oh dear Selene...

Two bare bodies, drenched in sweat, were locked in an intense passionate embrace and tangled in white linen that was stained in many places by a strange cloudy-white substance. On the bottom, was a young man with ebony black hair, repeatedly arching upwards and growling out words that made heat rise to Chibiusa's face. On top, was a young woman with long blonde hair and more of the strange white substance on her lower back, moving her hips with rhythm and ecstatically crying out, clearly too lost in the throes of passion to notice the shocked little girl standing in the doorway.

 _'Oh... my... gosh...'_ With her gaping mouth and tomato-red face, Chibiusa slowly backed away from the scene and stood outside by the door, but stood to the side so she could stay out of sight. _'I had no idea Usagi and Mamo-chan were so... adult! They really do have a mature relationship!'_ Chibiusa had to close her mouth with her hand and put the other one to her flushed face to calm herself. _'I never would've guessed that Usagi was the dominant type...'_

"Chibiusa? What are you doing just standing there?"

"Wondering how you could be—" Chibiusa cut herself off and snapped her head around to see Usagi standing before her, fully clothed and her hair still in her odangos. "But wait! Weren't you just..." she trailed off, slowly poking her head back inside the Earth Prince's bedroom.

The young woman on top of Mamoru had long blonde hair like Usagi, but while the Moon Princess' hair was around shin length, this girl's was mid-thigh length. Plus, her hair color was buttercup yellow, while Usagi's was more of a golden shade. Chibiusa caught a few glimpses of her back and could tell that this girl had an athletic figure. Usagi also had a toned body as a result of fighting monsters, but this girl was clearly more well-built. But what really confirmed the girl's identity for Chibiusa was the red ribbon she spotted on the floor, lying next to a high school sailor uniform.

"No...way..." Chibiusa whispered, putting a hand to her mouth.

"What?" Usagi wondered, puzzled by her future daughter behavior.

"AAH!"

The loud shriek captured Usagi's attention as she finally became aware of the open bedroom door. When she poked her head inside, the color drained from her face and her eyes widened in horror with her mouth hanging open. _'...Mamo-chan? Minako-chan...?'_

When their love making had reached its peak, Minako slid off of Mamoru and laid beside him. "Oh, Mamo-kun, it's always fun the fourth time around!"

With a chuckle, Mamoru wrapped an arm around the blonde's thin waist and pulled her closer to him. "And here I thought Usako was the most energetic of the Senshi." He brushed Minako's bangs out of her face. "Oh, I almost forgot. Did you like the chocolates I gave you?"

Minako pouted and caressed the college student's face. "It was sweet of you to give me those, but they had white chocolate filling, so I gave them away."

Usagi's heart clenched at the Venusian Senshi's words. _'The chocolates Ami-chan gave me... Those were actually chocolates Mamo-chan gave to Minako-chan?!'_ She felt like throwing up, wishing she hadn't eaten the entire container of chocolate the day before.

"Aw, and I spent a lot of money on those," Mamoru said, feigning hurt.

Minako giggled and snuggled closer to the Earth Prince. "You know I'm way fonder of a different kind of creamy filling."

"How can I forget? It's all over your thighs." A perverse grin spread across Mamoru's face.

A sly glint flashed in Minako's baby blue eyes. "Maybe you would like to help me wash it off? Why don't we go take a shower together?"

"In a minute," Mamoru said, resting his face in the crook of Minako's neck. "I want to savor this moment a little longer."

That was it for Usagi. She tore her eyes away from the scene and slumped against the wall, covering her mouth as tears trailed down her cheeks. _'I... I can't... Why?! How could they do this?!'_ She found herself hyperventilating and shaking with anger and sadness.

Chibiusa's eyes were still glued to the lovers and looked at them with hurt, anger, and sadness. How could Minako steal her best friend's boyfriend and how could Mamoru hurt his girlfriend and future wife in the worst way possible?! She didn't care if they were naked and covered in a white substance she couldn't identify, she was going to storm in there and give them a piece of her mind, maybe even use some choice words she learned from the hot-tempered Senshi of Mars. She had already taken two steps into the room and opened her mouth to scream at the lecherous pair, but before she could scold them, she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders and the next thing she knew, she was being hoisted up and carried away.

With tears blurring her vision, Usagi held Chibiusa close to her chest as she ran away from the traitorous duo, quickly grabbing Chibiusa's shoes by the apartment door then slipping on her own. Without turning back, she fled the Earth Prince's apartment, not even bothering to close the door.

* * *

"Usagi! Let me go!"

Despite the little girl's pleas and the constant batting at her arms, Usagi continued to hold onto Chibiusa for dear life as she ran down the street with tears falling uncontrollably from her eyes. The strength in her arms eventually gave out, making her drop Chibiusa on the ground as she fell unceremoniously to her knees.

Chibiusa grumbled as she picked herself off the ground, dusting off her clothes. Had she been in a better mood, she would have yelled at Usagi for dropping her, but right now she just felt immense sadness. Mamoru, her father's younger self whom she adored and idealized from the moment she first fell out of the sky into the 21st century, had betrayed Usagi's trust and pursued one of her best friends. How could he? Did he even consider Usagi's feelings? Didn't he love her? Just then, a chill went up her spine, not because of her cold, but because of a horrifying realization.

Her chills, her constant coughing, her dizzy spells, her pale appearance... She wasn't sick, she was _dying._ Mamoru and Minako must've had altered the future when they chose to see each other behind Usagi's back. _'Reckless fools!'_ She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth.

"Mamo-chan..."

Usagi's weak voice caught Chibiusa's attention. It was debatable who was hurting the most, but Usagi was most definitely suffering a great amount of pain. Hesitantly, Chibiusa slowly turned around, her heart breaking at the sight: Usagi was on her knees, slumped forward like a lifeless doll with tears streaming down her face and onto the ground. Her shoulders shook with every pain filled sob that escaped her lips and an occasional hiccup was heard every now and then.

At this point, tears were trailing down Chibiusa's face as well. Her pale cheeks flushed red as she clenched her trembling fists, yelling, "This is all your fault!"

The pink-haired girl's shout made Usagi flinch. She slowly raised her head to meet her future daughter's glaring scarlet eyes. "W-What...?"

"If you had been a proper girlfriend and acted more like the princess and future queen you're supposed to be, then this wouldn't have happened!" Chibiusa's voice trembled as she stalked up to the Moon Princess. "Because of your silly, ditzy, crybaby self, Mamo-chan chose someone _else!_ " She shoved Usagi in the chest and gave her a heated glare. "Now I won't be born and it's all because of... because of..." Her lip quivered uncontrollably as a pained cry tore from her throat. She tried to shove Usagi again, but instead collapsed in her arms with her words dissolving into incomprehensible sobs.

Usagi held the crying child closer to her. She knew Chibiusa's anger wasn't directed towards her, even though a part of her felt that it should be.

 _"You're our dear princess and best friend. We're nice to you because we love you."_

A spasm of pain shot through Usagi as she remembered Minako's words from earlier. _'Lies... Nothing but lies...'_ This was Minako's fault. Because of her, Chibiusa was going to... _'How could they do this? Forget about **my** feelings, they put a child's life in danger!' _She hugged Chibiusa even tighter. _'What am I going to do?'_ she thought, unintentionally drying her tears in Chibiusa's pink hair.

Usagi's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a low growl.

The blonde's eyebrows rose up in surprise. She knew Chibiusa was upset, but she didn't expect her to be _that_ angry.

"U-Usagi...?" Chibiusa's small voice rang.

The growling sounded again, and this time Usagi realized it couldn't have come from Chibiusa. Also, it was coming from _behind_ her.

Chibiusa's curiosity got the better of her as she pulled away from Usagi to see what was growling. "What the heck?!"

It was a creature with the body of a lion, large bat-like wings with some kind of metallic trimming, and a scorpion tail made out of metal. It had the head of a bearded man, but its eyes... its eyes definitely weren't human. They were nothing but black, pupil-less orbs.

From the books on mythological creatures she read with Sailor Vesta, Chibiusa could tell it was a manticore. Or, at least, a cyborg manticore? It doesn't matter what kind of monster it was, she couldn't deal with an enemy attack right now! She was still coming to terms with her own impending demise!

With Chibiusa still in her arms, Usagi rose up and slowly back away from the creature.

Not wanting its prey to get away, the manticore lunged at the girls, preparing to tear them to shreds with its claws.

Usagi quickly dove out of the way, letting the manticore's claws crash into the ground, creating a wave of spidery cracks.

Chibiusa wriggled free from the odango-haired blonde's hold and grabbed onto her wrist. "We need to get out of here!" She tried to drag Usagi away, but she wouldn't budge.

"No." Usagi stood her ground and freed her wrist from the little girl's hold. "We have to stay and fight." Her head was lowered, letting her bangs cover her eyes.

The pink-haired girl gave her an incredulous look. "You know neither of us is in any shape to fight!"

"That doesn't matter," Usagi raised her head, letting Chibiusa see her tear-stained face, "we can't let our personal feelings get in the way of our jobs," she said, sounding like a certain sandy blonde racer. "If you can't fight, that's fine." A tender smile made its way onto Usagi's lips. "I'll protect you."

"Usagi..." Chibiusa whispered. In that moment, her image of Usagi changed. In her mind's eye, her golden blonde hair was replaced by flowing silver tresses, with a pearl white tiara on top of her head, and a golden crescent moon burning on her brow. _'Mama...?'_

Usagi turned away from Chibiusa and faced her opponent, taking out her brooch. "Moon Eternal, Make Up!" Pink ribbons burst from the brooch and covered Usagi's body, replacing her civilian clothes with her sailor uniform. Eternal Sailor Moon now stood in her place and pointed an accusing finger at the manticore. "How dare you attempt to harm two heartbroken maidens in their time of grief?! That is unforgivable!" she scolded. "For Love and Justice, I'm a Pretty Guardian in a Sailor Suit! Sailor Moon! And in the name of the Moon, I will punish you!" she declared, performing her trademark pose.

Her opponent did not look impressed. The manticore gave another low growl as its eyes changed. The sclera was now cyan and the irises were royal blue with robotic-like print. The manticore lowered itself on the road as its eyes scanned over the Moon Princess, as if running an analysis. It raked its claws on the road before charging the Moon Senshi.

The air shimmered before Sailor Moon and her Eternal Tiare materialized soon after. Taking hold of her weapon, she repelled the cyborg creature with a blast of pink light, making it skid a few feet across the road.

Chibiusa stared in awe at the Moon Princess. Even though she was struck with grief and a broken heart, she still pulled herself together to keep her safe. _'Sailor Moon really is a strong, beautiful lady. There's no way I could ever catch up to her.'_ She lowered her head and gritted her teeth. Was this really how she was going to spend what little remained of her life? Pitying herself?

With a shake of its head, the manticore recovered and stalked slowly towards the Lunarian Senshi. It pounced at her, but Sailor Moon smacked it in the face with a twirl of her Tiare. It snarled in annoyance, ready to strike her, but before it got the chance, a small shoe flew into its face.

"Huh?" Sailor Moon tilted her head in confusion.

"You leave her alone!" a high-pitched voice demanded as another shoe hit the creature in its face.

Sailor Moon whipped around to see a barefoot Chibiusa glowering at the manticore. "Chibiusa! What are you doing?!"

"You can't just expect me to sit on the sidelines while you hog all the glory!" Chibiusa exclaimed. _'If I'm going to die, then I want to die while being as strong as you!'_ "I, Princess Usagi Small Lady Serenity, will help make sure that this monster never harms anyone ever again!" She raised her own brooch into the air and yelled, "Pink Moon Crystal Power, Make Up!" Pink ribbons surrounded her small body and changed her into her sailor uniform.

The manticore shielded its eyes from the display of pink light with its paw. When the light died down, it set its robotic blue eyes on the future Moon Senshi.

Eternal Sailor Chibi Moon gave a stone cold glare to the cyborg monster. She didn't know if it was the thrill of battle or the fact that her life may come to an end soon, but she was fired up and ready to go. She summoned her own Eternal Tiare and rushed over to the older Moon Senshi's side. "Let's defeat it together!"

"Right!" Sailor Moon nodded. Even with a monster and the possibility of being erased from existence soon staring her in the face, Chibi Moon was still the same stubborn, reckless child she's always been since they first met. And she was glad.

With a few powerful wing-beats, the manticore ascended and readied its claws as it plummeted towards the mother-daughter duo.

Sailor Moon and Chibi Moon raised their respective Tiares towards the creature. "Starlight Honeymoon Double Therapy Kiss!" Twin rays of swirling pink light erupted from the Tiares and raced towards the manticore.

The cyborg creature let out a pained roar when the two attacks slammed into it, tearing its body apart. When it couldn't take any punishment, its body exploded with a cloud of smoke, from which one robotic blue eye fell to ground with a tail of wires hanging out. From underneath the eye, a small black portal opened up and the eye disappeared, unnoticed by the two Soldiers of the Moon.

"We did it!" Chibi Moon exclaimed.

A small smiled graced Sailor Moon's face. "Yeah, we—"

" _SQUAWK!_ "

Both soldiers jumped and whipped around to see that their battle wasn't over yet. Their next opponent was stalking behind them.

It was a creature with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion, the head and wings of an eagle, and an eagle's talons as its front feet.

"A griffin?" Chibi Moon realized.

The griffin was much faster than the manticore as it charged the two soldiers without warning, crashing into Sailor Moon.

Sailor Moon landed on the ground with a hard _THUD!._ She tried to get back up, but the griffin's heavy weight prevented her from moving. When she tried to move her arms, the griffin used its talons to force them down onto the ground.

"Sailor Moon!" Chibi Moon cried out. Placing her thumb and index finger on the star-shaped gem on her tiara, she removed it and watched as it morphed, turning into a glowing circular blade. "Moon Tiara Boomerang!" She hurled the blade at the griffin, but she only managed to create a large gash in its backside.

The griffin let out a squawk, jumping off of Sailor Moon and inspecting its damaged posterior, watching the crimson fluid spill onto the road. Turning its head to Chibi Moon, it gave her an avian equivalent of a glare before stampeding towards her, with its talons creating large cracks in the road.

Chibi Moon was daunted by creature, but she stood her ground and brandished her Tiare. But just as she was about to use her attack, her vision was obscured by angelic white wings.

Sailor Moon had managed to outmaneuver the griffin and stood in front of her future daughter with her own Tiare in hand, extended into a staff. "I won't let you touch her!" Pink energy gathered at the top of the weapon. "Starlight Honeymoon—"

With a swipe of its talons, the griffin struck the Tiare, slicing it cleanly in half. The severed halves of the Tiare fell to the ground with a metallic _CLINK!_ before dissipating into pink sparkles.

The force of the impact made Sailor Moon stagger backwards and fall on top of Chibi Moon. When she saw the griffin preparing to attack again, she knelt down in front of the pink-haired Senshi with her arms spread out wide to protect her.

But just as the griffin was about to strike Sailor Moon, it was halted by a bright silver light.

Sailor Moon looked down at her brooch to see rays of silver light peeking through it. _'Why is the Silver Moon Crystal reacting now?'_ she wondered, but during that moment she was distracted, the griffin recovered and advanced.

The silver light no longer bothered the griffin as it delivered a powerful strike across Sailor Moon's chest.

Sailor Moon let out a shriek as her hands flew over her chest in an attempt to stop the bleeding, but she couldn't cover all the gashes. As if things couldn't get any worse, she heard a sickening cracking noise. She looked down at her chest and was horrified when she saw that her brooch now had cracks in it and was releasing pink and silver sparks like a faulty electronic.

More cracks spread along the golden brooch, giving off multiple rays of pink and silver light. It gave off a low hum as it was encased in a pinkish-white light, prompting concerned looks from its owner. With a final display of light, the brooch exploded with a loud _POP!,_ shattering Sailor Moon's transformation. Her wings crumbled away and her uniform dissolved into flowing pink ribbons that barely covered her nude form, but provided enough cover to protect her modesty.

"Oh no!" Chibi Moon cried. A spasm of pain shot through her, forcing her to clutch her chest in pain. _'...What's happening?"_ Soon after, her own transformation dissolved, forcing her back into her civilian clothes.

Usagi was at a loss for what to do. Not only was her Tiare destroyed, but her brooch as well. She frantically looked around, swatting away the flowing mass of ribbons until she found the Silver Moon Crystal. Letting out a sigh of relief, she held her crystal in her hands.

The griffin let out a squawk and raked it talons on the road, as it taunting its opponents. It pressed its talons the road so hard that it crumbled, creating a small crater as it rushed towards the defenseless girls.

Chibiusa held onto Usagi's bare arm for dear life, almost accepting death, but then she noticed a silvery glow out of the corner of her eye. She felt Usagi move and looked to see the Moon Princess standing to her feet with the Silver Moon Crystal hovering above her palms. "Usagi?"

Usagi turned her head to Chibiusa with an assuring smile. "I promised I'd protect you, didn't I?" She turned back to face the incoming griffin that was ready to slash away at her. As the crystal gave off multiple rays of light, Usagi raised it up high. "Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!" The Silver Moon Crystal gave off a brilliant display of light so strong, Chibiusa had to shield her eyes. Even Usagi winced and slightly turned away.

The griffin let out a horrified squawk when the light struck it, burning its body with its brilliance. In a matter of seconds, the griffin was reduced to dust that was quickly blown away by the wind.

Chibiusa gaped at the frightening power of the Silver Moon Crystal. She knew it was of immense power, but she had never truly witnessed its potential.

With the threat eliminated, the Silver Moon Crystal disappeared in a flash of light.

"I did it..." Usagi mumbled, her vision blurring. A wave of lethargy hit her as she sank to her knees and collapsed on the road. She fought to keep her eyes open, but her vision was blurring as blue, green, red, and yellow lights danced across her eyes. After a final act of futile resistance, she let the darkness take over as her world faded to black.

"Usagi!" Chibiusa went over to her side and tried to shake her awake. "Usagi? What's wrong?! Come on, wake up! Wake up!"

* * *

A/N: Ok, yes, Mamoru cheated. But before you're all, "Oh great, _another_ cheater fic. _Just_ what this site needed," keep in mind that there is more to this story and I encourage you to stick around for the explanation. Now leave a review!


	2. Small Lady

A/N: You know, when I was writing the author's note for the previous chapter, I was originally going to add, "This is _not_ a betrayal fic." Why? Because my definition of a Sailor Moon betrayal fic is this: Usagi's friends verbally abuse her by lobbing factual statements at her as if they're insults (like how she's clumsy and does poorly in school, even though those are _very_ common flaws lots of people have) then claim she's no good as a Soldier and kick her off the team and if the parents are involved, they kick Usagi out of the house.

None of that is happening in this story, therefore this is **not** a betrayal fic.

I suppose you could argue that Mamoru cheating on Usagi is a trope often associated with betrayal fics, but if you really think about it, it's pretty realistic. Mamoru and Usagi are so different from each other, I can picture them both cheating for reasons that will be discussed soon.

As for why it was Minako who Mamoru cheated with... One reason is because I kind of ship those two together, and another reason is because I didn't want to do a MamoruXRei pairing.

And before Mercedes1312 beats me with a bat, I would just like to say that there _is_ a good explanation for the aforementioned adultery.

Now sit back, relax and read the chapter and leave a review when you're done! :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of its characters.

* * *

 _"I thought you were my friend!"_

 _"Friendships are incredibly fragile, and short-lived like flowers."_

 _"Stop this!"_

 _"You're to blame."_

 _"Please, Silver Crystal..."_

 _"Don't bother."_

 _"SAVE HER!"_

The pleading voice reverberated in Usagi's ears as she awoke in a daze. "Save her," she mumbled. As her vision solidified, all she could see ahead of her was a world of creamy white with strange green stars. _'I'm in my room,'_ she realized, recalling how she used to stick glow-in-the-dark stickers on her ceiling. When she knit her eyebrows together, she felt something wet and lukewarm on her brow. She put a hand to her forehead and felt a small towel. Finally looking down at herself, she saw that she was tucked in bed. _'How did I get here?'_ she wondered, raking a hand through her long hair which had been freed from their odangos. When she tried to move her other hand, she felt the soft, warm touch of another.

Holding her hand and sitting by her bedside in a pale blue folding chair was Chibiusa. The pink-haired girl was slumped over in her seat, with her puffy pigtails spilling over her shoulders.

Usagi sat upright and reached out to the future Moon Senshi, gently shaking her shoulder. "Chibiusa, wake up."

A moment later, Chibiusa's eyes fluttered open. "...Wha... huh?" she mumbled as a yawn escaped her. After rubbing her eyelids, she finally noticed that her future mother was awake. "U-Usagi!"

A small smile made its way onto Usagi's gentle face. "How long have you been sitting there?"

Chibiusa scratched the top of her head. "A while. You've been out for a few hours. I came in here from time to time to check on you and change the towel on her forehead."

Usagi's smile grew wider, feeling touched that her future daughter had cared for her while she was unconscious. Which reminded her... "What happened? How did I get here?"

"After you passed out, I called Ami-chan, Rei-chan, and Mako-chan and they brought you home," Chibiusa informed. "I didn't call Minako-chan and Mamo-chan because of... well, you know." Her cheeks turned a bright red color, but she wasn't sure if it was because she was embarrassed or angry.

"Because of wha—" She cut herself off as memories of the day's events flooded her mind like Neptune's Deep Submerge. "Oh." She grabbed fistfuls of her covers in her trembling hands.

"Rei-chan said she would tell them about what happened," Chibiusa suddenly said.

Usagi didn't reply. She didn't even look at her future daughter. Instead, her eyes were trained on the closed doors of her balcony where the orange-yellow light of the setting sun peeked through. _'Sunrise, sunset.'_

"I'm sorry about your brooch," the rabbit odango-haired girl meekly apologized. She couldn't help but feel a touch of guilt. If the griffin hadn't intimidated her so easily, she could've fired an attack sooner, and Sailor Moon wouldn't have had to jump in and save her.

The Moon Princess looked back at Chibiusa with confusion, before realization, then sadness, registered on her face. With a shudder, she hugged herself, shaking away the phantom pains the recollection brought. That griffin had easily broken her Tiare and damaged her brooch. She tugged on her blouse and looked inside, observing her chest. Her normal, uninjured chest. The Silver Moon Crystal must've healed her wounds. A part of her wanted to blame her Sailor Crystal for reacting during the fight and distracting her, but she knew her poor performance wasn't entirely the crystal's fault.

"I'm sorry..." Chibiusa's voice wavered a little.

"It's not your fault," Usagi assured, as if reading the younger girl's thoughts. "Eternal Sailor Moon wasn't strong enough because Usagi was too weak," she lamented. If only she hadn't gone to Mamoru's apartment...

"That's not true!" Chibiusa blurted out. "You're the strongest person I know!"

Usagi's mouth popped open at the pink-haired girl's exclamation. "Chibiusa..."

Chibiusa's cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment as she tore her eyes away from her future mother's and sank back in her pale blue chair, folding her arms.

Neither of them said anything after that. Usagi stared at Chibiusa curiously, while Chibiusa was making a point of avoiding the blonde's eyes.

Usagi looked down at herself and put a hand to her chest. _'The Silver Moon Crystal survived, but my brooch... How am I supposed to fight this new threat without it?'_ She remembered all the transformation brooches she went through in the past: Her very first brooch that Luna gave her, which broke after she defeated Queen Metallia, but was upgraded to the Crystal Star by Queen Serenity. Then there was the Cosmic Heart Compact given to her by her future self, Neo Queen Serenity, which, just like its predecessor, was upgraded, this time by Pegasus, to the Crisis Moon Compact. And finally, the Eternal Brooch she received when all the Senshi pooled their powers together and allowed her to become Eternal Sailor Moon for the first time and defeat Queen Nehellenia. All those upgrades had happened right when she needed them, especially right after her current brooch had become useless, but only because the brooch had never been completely destroyed.

"What are we going to do now?"

The Moon Princess was pulled out of her worry by Chibiusa's small voice. The Lunaterran Princess still wasn't looking at her, but Usagi could tell by the look in her eyes that she wasn't talking about the new enemy. "I don't know, but we should tell the others."

* * *

When the sun finally set, Usagi and Chibiusa set out in the dark of night, walking in the direction of Hikawa Shrine. Ikuko and Kenji were hesitant about letting them go, due to the rising number of missing people, but eventually permitted them to leave.

Usagi had already called the Inner Senshi (bar Minako) and asked them to gather at the shrine for a meeting. Though the topic of the monsters that appeared earlier was definitely going to be discussed, there was another issue that needed to be talked about. A small part of her didn't want to expose the Venusian Senshi's treachery, in fear of the other girls ganging up on her, but perhaps that was what she needed. She needed to know just how selfish, reckless, and irresponsible she'd been, going after another girl's boyfriend and endangering a child's life. _'Did she even think about Chibiusa?'_ She stole a glance at the pink-haired girl, noticing that her skin was a tad bit paler. _'Probably not.'_

Chibiusa had remained silent throughout the entire walk. For Usagi's sake, she held her tongue, along with the raging storm inside her. Mamoru and Minako. She would be less disgusted if she were actually surprised. She had seen the signs, but not in the 21st century. She first noticed it a few months before she left for the past again.

 **~0~**

 _Princess Usagi Small Lady Serenity walked down the hallway of the Crystal Palace with Luna-P floating behind her. Wiping the sweat off her brow, she let out a sigh and hiked up her pink dress as if it would help her with the heat. 'This summer heat would put Mars' fire to shame,' she thought._

 _"Princess!" a high-pitched voice called, as a soldier in blue skipped down the hall._

 _She stopped in her tracks and faced the soldier with a smile. "Pallas!" she greeted. It seemed that she wasn't doing so well in the heat either, with the way her sweat stuck her bangs to her forehead._

 _"The others and I want to see you at the field behind the palace! Oh! And be sure to come in uniform!" the second-oldest of her guardians, Sailor Pallas informed. She had what the princess considered the least complicated hairstyle out of all her guardians; her pale blue hair was styled into a high bun, but with a strange headdress consisting of a metallic ring around her head with four small fluted metal pipes—two brown and two white—hanging from it, each of them with a blue orb attached at the end. Her blue eyes sparkled with their usual mirth as she approached her charge._ _She wore_ _a uniform consisting of a white leotard with a deep blue chest bow and a pale blue star-shaped brooch affixed to it. Her stripe-less sailor collar was pale blue, her choker was pale blue, her earrings were large blue studs (in a way referencing her literal sphere of control), and her tiara was gold with a pale blue star. She had white bubble-like sleeves with a double row of white trim and white bicep-length gloves with pale blue padding. Her skirt was pale blue with a white bow that had a slight sheen of pale blue at the back, and_ _her footwear consisted of white knee-high boots with pale blue inverted triangular arches with yellow stars._

 _The pink-haired princess tilted her head to the side. "Eh? Why?"_

 _The blue-haired Senshi winked and put a gloved finger to her lips. "You'll see!"_

 **~0~**

 _After Pallas' cryptic message, Eternal Sailor Chibi Moon came transformed and ready, heading to the field behind the palace that she, the Quartet, and the Inner Senshi, used for training. Finally, she spotted her guardians standing in the center of the field, each of them looking a bit agitated. Except for Vesta, for some reason._

 _Sailor Ceres, the oldest of the Quartet and the only other pink-wearing Senshi, spotted her princess and waved her over. "Princess! You're here!" Ceres had pink hair—the same shade as Chibi Moon's—styled in a high bun with a bright yellow ribbon. She also had droopy ponytails—contained in hair bands the same pink shade as her hair—hanging in a circular fashion at her shoulders with two long hair bands trailing down with little wisps of her hair peaking out at the ends, securing the rest of her hair into two low ponytails. With her pink hair and matching pink eyes, she could almost be a doppelganger for her princess. She wore_ _a uniform consisting of a white leotard with a plum purple chest bow and a pink star-shaped brooch affixed to it. Her stripe-less sailor collar was pink, her choker was pink, her earrings were pink roses (referencing her sphere of control), and her tiara was gold with a pink star. She had white bubble-like sleeves with a double row of white trim and white bicep-length gloves with pink padding. Her skirt was pink with a white bow that had a slight sheen of pink at the back, and_ _her footwear consisted of white knee-high boots with pink inverted triangular arches with yellow stars._

 _Chibi Moon greeted the Quartet with a smile. "So, why did you want to meet me here? And why did I have to transform? Are we training?"_

 _"Mmm, not really." Sailor Juno, the second-youngest, scratched the back of her neck. Juno_ _had what was easily the most complicated hairstyle—along with the most complicated hair accessary—out of all her sisters. She had green hair with three circular brown hair bands resting on top of her head, which extended up to three longer hair bands, all connected to a green oblong piece, that resembled a circle with a crescent-shaped bite taken out of it, containing her green locks into a very high ponytail. Trailing down from the headdress, were two long brown hair bands—each ending with a piece identical to the one atop her headdress—that contained the rest of her hair into two low ponytails. Her uniform consisted_ _of a white leotard with a brown chest bow and a green star-shaped brooch affixed to it. Her stripe-less sailor collar was green, her choker was green, her earrings were gold tear-drop shaped hoops, and her tiara was gold with a green star. She had white bubble-like sleeves with a double row of white trim and white bicep-length gloves with green padding. Her skirt was green with a white bow that had a slight sheen of green at the back, and_ _her footwear consisted of white knee-high boots with green inverted triangular arches with yellow stars._

 _"You see, princess," Ceres clasped her hands together, looking like the elegant diplomat she aimed to be, "this summer heat has become so unbearable for us, that we cannot function properly! Even when we are on our respective asteroids, we cannot do our duties knowing our beloved princess has to suffer through this oppressive temperature!"_

 _Sailor Vesta, the youngest of the Quartet, scoffed. "Oh please, it's not that bad." Vesta had scarlet red hair styled into a peculiar high ponytail, with multiple gold bands inlaid with red gems around the majority of it, and a long black band connected to a red oblong piece, that resembled a circle with a crescent-shaped bite taken out of it, containing the rest of her hair._ _Her_ _uniform consisted_ _of a white leotard with a black chest bow and a red star-shaped brooch affixed to it. Her stripe-less sailor collar was red, her choker was red, her earrings were small red studs, and her tiara was gold with a red star. She had white bubble-like sleeves with a double row of white trim and white bicep-length gloves with red padding. Her skirt was red with a white bow that had a slight sheen of red at the back, and_ _her footwear consisted of white knee-high boots with red inverted triangular arches with yellow stars._

 _"Easy for **you** to say!" Juno rolled her eyes at her baby sister. "You're under the protection of the Asteroid of Hearth and your castle is like one big fireplace! Of course **you'd** be ok with this heat!"_

 _"Yeah!" Pallas exclaimed. "Pallas is protected by the Asteroid of Jubilation, but I can't be jubilant when I'm being fried by the sun!"_

 _Chibi Moon cleared her throat to draw the attention back to her. "And just why did I have to be here?"_

 _"Because we need you to help make it snow!" Pallas cheered._

 _The princess' mouth popped open. "What?! **That's** why you needed me here?!"_

 _"Yup!" Pallas confirmed shamelessly._

 _The Princess of the Earth and Moon face palmed. "I can't believe you four," she grumbled._

 _"We asked Mercury if she could use her power to make things a little cooler, but she bopped me on the head and told us to deal with it," Juno stated, fiddling with her fingers._

 _"I can't say I blame her! You were asking her to misuse her powers, just as you want me to do!"_

 _Ceres had the decency to look ashamed. "We're sorry, princess. But really, do you honestly think you could spend another minute in the hot, **hot** palace, sweating out of every orifice, then drowning in your own perspiration with Venus-sama having to pull you out with her Love Whip?" she finished with a small smile, ignoring the strange looks she was getting from her sisters for painting such a vivid picture._

 _Chibi Moon gave the leader of her guardians a long, pensive look. She knew it would be wrong of them to use their powers in such a fashion, and it would most definitely get them in trouble with the older Senshi, but... she had been close to passing out three times that day because of the weather and wasn't sure how much longer she could hold out. "Alright."_

 _"Yay!" Pallas clapped her hands and jumped up and down._

 _Chibi Moon and the Quartet stood in a circle as they waited for their energy to build up. Their bodies soon lit up with their respective aura colors: Pink for Ceres and Chibi Moon, aqua blue for Pallas, red for Vesta, and green for Juno. Once their energy was at its peak, they thrust their hands in the air. "Pink Ladies Freezing Kiss!" Their aura colors shot up into sky and swirled together into one large pale blue ball of ice. The ice exploded, resulting into copious amounts of ice and snow falling to the ground, covering the entire field._

 _"We did it!" Ceres caught a few snowflakes in her gloved hand._

 _"It's so cold and refreshing!" Pallas wasted no time in falling to ground and making a snow angel._

 _Vesta sniffled and wrinkled her nose when a snowflake fell on it. "I don't know, it's a little—" She was cut off when she felt something incredibly cold make contact with the back of her neck. She spun around and saw Juno smirking with her arm outstretched. "Why?!"_

 _"Because you need to extinguish that Vestal fire and have some fun!" Right after Juno said that, a snowball hit her on the back of her head. She didn't need to look to find out who did it, as a bubbly voice chimed in to take credit for the assault._

 _"Haha! Pallas got you!"_

 _Juno grumbled something unintelligible as she knelt down to the ground to make another snowball. "Why you_ _—" Without warning, two snowballs hit the Soldier of Juno in the face. The green-haired girl gaped when she saw that her attacker was Vesta._

 _"You were right, Juno! This **is** fun!" Vesta declared, with two snowballs in each hand. "Unfortunately for you, my fire is flaring wilder than ever!" She tossed two snowballs at Juno, with one hitting her ribs and the other one hitting her face. She noticed Pallas clapping at the scene, but she would show no mercy for her older sister, instead firing her remaining two snowballs directly at her face. Having taken down two of her sisters, Vesta was feeling victorious until she heard an odd rustling sound._

 _Chibi Moon was bouncing Luna-P on the snow with a devilish grin. "Luna-P, transform!" The cat toy bounced into the air and changed its form with a burst of pale pink smoke._

 _Vesta paled at the sight and took a few steps back. "P-Princess... what are you doing?"_

 _Luna-P had changed into a T-shirt cannon that fell into Chibi Moon's lively hands. However, instead of T-shirts, Chibi Moon filled the cannon with snowballs. "Joining in on the fun!" She aimed her weapon at the youngest of her guardians and fired mercilessly._

 _With a squeal, Vesta ran and ducked for cover._

 _Juno and Pallas had recovered and joined in on the action, firing snowballs at both Vesta and Chibi Moon._

 _Ceres was the only one who wasn't partaking in the merriment, preferring to watch her princess and younger sisters from the sidelines. "How barbaric," she declared with a toss of her head. Unfortunately for her, that left her open for a snowball attack right to the face. "Ack!"_

 _Chibi Moon and the rest of the Quartet snickered, but their laughter came to an abrupt end when they saw the sharp glare of the leader of the Quartet._

 _"How **dare** you?!" the pink-haired soldier fumed. She sank to the ground and scooped up large amounts of snow in her hands, forming them into snowballs each bigger than her head. "Have at you!" She dug her fingers into the snowballs and hurled them at her fellow soldiers, hitting Juno and Chibi Moon in their faces._

 _It wasn't long before an all-out snow battle ensued between the girls, with snow balls flying wildly from all directions. Some of the girls were even fighting over who would hold the title of the Solar System's "Snow Queen"._

 _" **What** is going on here?!"_

 _The girls all froze in place (pun intended) at the sound of the angry voice._

 _Chibi Moon was especially scared; she was very familiar with the voice and knew it could only belong to one person._

 _"Venus-sama?!" Ceres cried out, dropping a snowball she was holding and slowly backing away._

 _The physically 22-year-old Queen of Venus gave each girl a stern look. "Girls, where did this snow come from?"_

 _Chibi Moon and the Quartet said nothing and gave each other nervous looks._

 _" **Where** did this snow come from?" Sailor Venus repeated firmly. _

_The five girls looked around awkwardly and told the leader of the Queen's guard how they used their Pink Ladies Freezing Kiss group attack to make it snow because they couldn't put up with the heat._

 _Venus shook her head disapprovingly. "Honestly girls, to use your powers in such a way," she scolded, resting her hands on her hips with her fingers brushing against the Love Whip around her waist. "And worst of all," she started, letting the girls sweat it out before she continued, "you did something fun without **me!** " she exclaimed, pointing at herself with her thumb. "The Goddess of Love needs some enjoyment too, you know!"_

 _The_ _collective sound of jaws dropping was heard as the Sailor Quartet and Chibi Moon gaped at the Venusian Senshi._

 _The bow-wearing Senshi giggled and unfastened her Love Whip. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get ready! Because I won't go easy on you!" She struck the ground with her whip, making snow rise in the air, then whipped it in the direction of the five younger Senshi._

 **~0~**

 _After Venus had joined the snow battle, Chibi Moon and the Quartet quickly admitted defeat. Afterwards, they all headed inside with their sailor uniforms soaking wet from the melted snow._

 _"Remember not to tell your parents about this," Venus advised to Chibi Moon._

 _"Don't tell her parents about what?" a deep voice questioned._

 _Sauntering down the hallway with a staff in hand, was King Endymion._

 _"Oh, King! You startled me!" Venus claimed. For a split second, Chibi Moon could swear she saw a hint of pink on her cheeks._

 _"What is it that you do not wish for Small Lady to tell me or Serenity?"_

 _Chibi Moon exchanged a few nervous glances with her guardians and crossed her fingers behind her back._

 _Venus cleared her throat and stood tall before the Golden King. "I was supervising a training session going on between the princess and the Sailor Quartet," she managed. "I must admit, the weather was a bit harsh for training, but I went against my better judgment and allowed it, which is why I didn't want Chibi Moon to say anything."_

 _The lavender-clad king gave the leader of his wife's guardians a quizzical look before responding, "I don't blame you. Mars was just telling me how she was dying in this heat."_

 _Vesta's eyebrows shot up at the king's comment. 'Really? Mars of all people?'_

 _"It was very generous of you to take time out of your own busy schedule to watch my daughter and her guardians."_

 _The corner of Venus' mouth curled up in a smile. "Of course, my King."_

 _"Oh, it almost slipped my mind, but visiting dignitaries from Mau and Coronis will be arriving soon and I need someone with Mars to keep the peace between them."_

 _"I'll take up the task, my King," Venus said with a bow. "Anything you need from me, **anything** at all, I'll use as much of my energy necessary to see to your needs."_

 _Chibi Moon and the Quartet, even Pallas, gave the Soldier of Love odd looks, noticing how lewd her statement was._

 _Endymion, however, was oblivious to the double entendre. "Great. Thank you, Venus." With that settled, the Earth King turned and left, proceeding down a hallway to deal with other matters._

 _"Anytime... My King," Venus said with a syrupy smile._

 _It did not escape Chibi Moon's notice how Venus was staring at her father. What concerned her was that it was the same kind of look Sailor Pluto used to give the king when he visited her at the Door of Space-Time._

 **~0~**

After that, Chibiusa began to notice how strange Venus acted around her father. She would give him longing stares whenever she thought no one was looking, occasionally make flirty comments, and find excuses to touch him while keeping it appropriate. Though it only lasted for a fraction of a second, Venus would also look at the queen with envy whenever she saw her and the king together. Chibiusa assumed that because of the Venusian Senshi's natural flirty and rambunctious nature, the little crush she seemed to have on the king would fade just as Pluto's did.

But it never did.

When Venus' affections for her father didn't die away soon, Chibiusa held onto the belief that she was just being playful and would get over her crush on the king, so she blocked out all the interactions Venus had with Endymion.

But was that the right thing to do?

Shaking away the thought, she turned her attention to Usagi, who was walking with a very solemn, almost defeated expression. She never thought she'd see such a look on the ever-joyful Usagi Tsukino's face. "Um, so... did you hand in your birth certificate on time?"

"Hm?" Usagi turned to Chibiusa with a tired look. "Oh, something went wrong and I can't go on the field trip."

"Why not?"

"It turns out that the birth certificate I turned in wasn't an official copy."

The pink-haired girl was perplexed. "How can that be?"

"I don't know, but I'll definitely have to talk to mama and papa about it," Usagi said. "We're here."

"Huh?" Chibiusa was so focused on the blonde, she hadn't noticed that they were at the bottom of the steps of Hikawa Shrine.

Hand in hand, the two Senshi of the Moon walked up the numerous steps. When they reached the top, they saw the sliding door to the shrine was open, giving view to Ami, Rei, and Makoto who were sitting on the floor.

The odango-haired blonde paused, feeling unsure of herself. Despite what Minako did, she was still one of her dearest friends. _'Is this really the right thing to do?'_

Feeling her future mother tense up, Chibiusa gave Usagi's hand a squeeze, catching her attention. She met Usagi's uncertain sapphire eyes with her own resolved ruby orbs. Her eyes conveyed a message that said, _'This is the right thing.'_

With a nod, Usagi forged on, still holding the pink-haired girl's delicate hand. They were Soldiers of Justice, after all. When they were a few feet away from the shrine, they could finally hear the conversation between the three soldiers of the inner Solar System.

"Where is Minako-chan?" Ami asked.

Usagi could hear Rei huff in irritation. "Most likely with Mamoru-san," she grumbled.

"I can't believe those two." Makoto sighed, shaking her head in disappointment. "What they're doing behind Usagi-chan's back is despicable!"

The Jovian Senshi's comment made Usagi and Chibiusa freeze. Before any of the girls could see them, Usagi grabbed Chibiusa and sprinted out of sight, leaning up against the wall close to the entrance of the room her guardians were in.

"It was no secret that Minako-chan was boy crazy, but I can't believe she would go so low as to steal Usagi's boyfriend." Rei shook her head as she smoothed out her white and red miko robes.

Makoto ran a hand through her chocolate-brown bangs. "And to think, this has been going on for months. _Months_ of them sneaking around and betraying Usagi-chan in the worst way known to a girl!"

Usagi's mouth popped open. _'Months?! It was going on for **months** and I never noticed?!'_

"It's actually pretty logical that this happened," Ami voiced.

Makoto looked at her as if she set fire to the place. "Ami-chan!"

The Mercurian Senshi flushed and held up her hands in defense. "W-What I mean is that Usagi-chan and Mamoru-san didn't seem to have that much in common! With Usagi-chan's behavior, I can see why Mamoru-san cheated on her! She's much too... _spirited_ and immature for him. In all honestly, I'm surprised it took this long."

Chibiusa had to cover her mouth with her hand to muffle out the sound of her growling in anger and disgust.

"But how is Minako-chan any different?" Makoto responded. "If anything, she's even more _spirited_ than her!"

The blue-haired genius bit her lip, unable to refute the tall brunette's argument.

"You know, Ami-chan does have a point," Rei said in calm tone. "Usagi and Mamoru-san were so painfully mismatched, it was making me cringe."

"So that makes it ok for Mamoru-san to cheat on her?!" Makoto glared at the raven-haired shrine maiden. "How can you be so cavalier about this?! Aren't you the least bit upset?!"

"Of course, I am!" the Martian Senshi snapped, grabbing fistfuls of the red skirt of her shrine maiden attire. "But how I feel isn't going to change anything! And if you hate the idea of Minako-chan and Mamoru-san together, how come you haven't told Usagi?"

Makoto sighed and folded her arms over her ample bosom. "For the same reason _you_ haven't told her either. I don't want to break her heart."

"But that's what Mamoru-san is doing," Ami said quietly.

A spark of realization flashed in Makoto's emerald green eyes as she cupped her face with slightly trembling hands. "Now that I think about it, that's not even the worst part," she said, her voice wavering. "What about Chibiusa? What's going to happen to her now?"

A pregnant silence filled the room as fear and worry flashed across Rei and Ami's faces. Rei looked down at herself, while Ami nervously scratched the side of her head, neither of them wanting to discuss the unavoidable topic of the future Moon Senshi's fate.

Usagi and Chibiusa leaned closer to the wall, waiting for a response with bated breath.

"Well..." Ami finally spoke up, "Minako-chan and Mamoru-san began their affair months ago, but Chibiusa is still here. Therefore, Mamoru-san must've realized his mistake and Usagi-chan must've changed the way she is if Chibiusa is still alive."

Makoto opened and closed her mouth, trying to come up with a counter argument, but couldn't think of one. "Well... I guess..."

Rei kept her eyes glued to the floor and she spoke, "I guess you're right."

Outside, Chibiusa covered her face with both hands and shook her head, feeling immense disappointment in her future mother's guardians. Obviously, they hadn't gotten a good look at her earlier today when they arrived to help Usagi. Had they noticed her sickly appearance, would they have come clean? As she was internally cursing out the Inner Senshi, Chibiusa became aware of a tingling sensation that assaulted her whole body. It was the kind of sensation one would experience when their leg falls asleep, except it filled her entire body. Slowly, she pulled her hands away from her face and...

Oh no...

Her hands... They were see-through.

Upon closer inspection, Chibiusa noticed that her _entire body_ was transparent. Her hands flew to her mouth in surprise, but she suppressed any exclamation of shock. She turned to Usagi, relieved that the blonde wasn't looking at her. She didn't want her to see her in this state. A second later, her body displayed static like a cheap TV before becoming corporeal again.

With a sigh, she hugged herself and fought away a familiar stinging sensation assaulting her eyes. She didn't want to accept it, but there was no denying it now. She was fading. Fast.

Out of the corner of her eye, Usagi noticed Chibiusa curled up in a ball on the ground, hugging herself. Feeling sympathy for the child, she tore herself away from the Inner Senshi's conversation and rested a hand on the pink-haired princess' shoulder. "Chibiusa..." To her surprise, Chibiusa wrapped her arms around her and gave her a tight hug. She was surprised by this sudden display of affection, but nonetheless returned the embrace.

A few tears leaked out of Chibiusa's eyes, which she then wiped onto Usagi's blouse. "Mama..." What would her actual mother, the queen think? How would she react to the fact that her daughter was going to perish in the past? Obviously, not well, she thought. _'Wait... There may be something I can do.'_ Pulling away from Usagi, she wiped her eyes and stood to her feet. She gave the Moon Princess one last look before spinning around and dashing off.

"Chibiusa!" Usagi whispered.

"It's ok!" the pink-haired girl assured, waving at Usagi without turning around. "Don't worry about me!" She continued down the steps of Hikawa Shrine until her form was no longer visible.

Usagi reached out in the direction the future Moon Senshi went, but soon drew back her hand. _'She'll be fine,'_ she told herself. She leaned back against the wall, pulling her knees to her chest as she once again listened in on her guardians' conversation while taking a few peeks into the room.

"There's something else we need to worry about," Rei said, shifting uncomfortably on the floor. "Chibiusa said Usagi's brooch was destroyed today."

"What?!" Ami and Makoto bore twin expressions of shock.

Rei nodded grimly. "Apparently, a monster managed to damage it before it just... exploded. And before that, it even broke Sailor Moon's Eternal Tiare." She tightened her grip on her skirt.

"This is _not_ good. Without her brooch, Usagi-chan can't become Sailor Moon!" Ami pointed out.

Makoto hugged herself, trembling a little. "To think, that this new threat was able to destroy Sailor Moon's weapon _and_ her transformation brooch! If they're that strong, then what chance do _we_ have against them?!"

"We'll do our absolute best," Rei resolved. She was a little taken aback by Makoto's sudden pessimism, but didn't let it show. "We'll protect Usagi no matter what."

Usagi had heard enough. She rose listlessly to her feet and walked away from the shrine, sauntering down the steps, completely unnoticed by her guardians.

* * *

"They knew. This whole time. They _knew,_ " Usagi mumbled to herself, walking back to her house with vexation in every step.

Now she understood why the Inner Senshi had been so nice and attentive to her lately. They felt _guilty._ She should've known something was up when Rei never provoked her in any way. How could she have been so blind? Everything made sense now: the occasional pitiful looks, the sudden bursts of generosity, Minako's excuses for leaving study groups early and even coming to school with her hair messed up, and Mamoru's excuses for abruptly ending their dates.

Although, _that_ wasn't anything new. The Earth Prince was always distracted during their dates, looking as though he would rather be somewhere else. _'Maybe_ ** _with_** _someone else...'_ she thought with a sigh. Why? Why had he done to this her? And after all they'd been through together, in this lifetime and the last: A possessed tyrant driven by jealousy, a perverted prince fueled by lust, an evil entity bent on destruction, and an evil queen compelled to ruin their lives for the sake of greed.

And why had Minako done what she did? She didn't know she held any of feelings for Mamoru. Or did she only lust after him? The heartbreaking image of her on top of Mamoru was ingrained in her mind, along with their playful, sexual banter. She and Mamoru had never bantered so easily like that, especially not sexually. Could that be why he slept with Minako? Because he felt that his girlfriend couldn't see to his needs?

 _"She's much too... spirited and immature for him."_

She folded her arms over her bust and squeezed her eyes shut painfully, fighting back the familiar stinging sensation she felt in her eyes. _'Was I never enough? Did he think I was too childish?'_

She had no idea how she was going to face Mamoru the next time she saw him. In fact, she didn't know if she would be able to face the girls either. She didn't _want_ to face them. She was just so _angry_ with them, though Makoto was in her better graces since she wanted to come clean to her about what was going on behind her back. In spite of that, she planned to avoid her, along with the others, for a little while, though that may prove to be a bit difficult since they were now determined to keep her safe with the new enemy lurking around.

Finally reaching her home, she opened the front door and was immediately greeted by her stern-looking mother. "Usagi! Why were you gone for so long?! You said you would be back soon!" she exclaimed. "And why—" Ikuko's expression changed from angry to concerned when she noticed the dried tears on her daughter's face. "W-What's wrong?"

Usagi sniffled and looked around the living room, spotting her brat of a brother sitting on the couch, playing video games, and her father in the kitchen, reading a book. It just occurred to her how little she spent with her family nowadays. Ever since she became Sailor Moon and found all of her comrades, she barely had time for them. She didn't go shopping with her mother, go to amusement parks with her father, or even challenge her brother to video game matches anymore. Whenever the Tsukinos planned family outings, Usagi always had to decline because of her duties as a Sailor Soldier. Those were precious times she had cherished with her family, but had to sacrifice those moments because of her friends. Friends who couldn't bring themselves to be honest with her. But with her brooch destroyed and her decision to steer clear of the girls, she wouldn't be involved in fighting the new enemy and would have more time with her loved ones.

"Nothing, mama," Usagi assured, giving her mother a hug and resting her head on her shoulder. "I just missed you guys."

Ikuko was perplexed by her daughter's behavior, not understanding the true meaning behind her words. _'She missed us? It's not like she hasn't seen us in a few weeks.'_ Regardless, she returned Usagi's hug with a smile.

"Ugh, is Stupid Usagi crying about something again?" Shingo questioned. His eyes were glued to the TV screen and his fingers were mashing the buttons of his controller as he played one of his favorite games, _Inhabitant Wickedness._ "She really needs to grow up."

Unknown to the 12-year old boy, his comment added another stab wound to Usagi's heart, making the self-loathing from earlier rise back up.

Feeling Usagi tense up in her arms, Ikuko whipped her head around to glare at her son. "Shingo! That was unnecessary! Go to your room!"

Shingo groaned, but obeyed his mother's order. He shut off his game console and trudged up the stairs, grumbling something about "pampered crybaby dumplings".

"What's happening out here?" Kenji questioned, exiting the kitchen with his book in hand.

Ikuko dismissively waved a hand. "Oh, Shingo's just being mean to Usagi."

"That boy. He really needs to learn to respect his sister." Kenji walked over to Usagi and patted one of her odangos. "I won't having anyone being mean to my little girl."

Usagi smiled warmly at the attention and affection she was receiving. She was so lucky to have such caring parents. "Mama, papa, there's something I need to talk to you about."

"Oh? What is it?"

The odango-haired blonde fiddled with her fingers. "When I tried to present my birth certificate to the school office, they said it wasn't an official one because it didn't have a government seal." As she was explaining, she didn't notice how her parents' faces paled as they exchanged nervous looks with each other. "But how could that be? I've never heard either of you mention any copy of my birth certificate before."

Ikuko slowly backed away from Usagi and looked at her like she was a ghost. Bringing trembling hands to her face, she made her way over to the couch in the living, ignoring everything else around her.

Kenji slowly set his book down on a nearby table and adjusted his glasses. "...D-Do you _really_ need to go on that trip? It's so far away and I don't think you could handle yourself overseas. And westerners can be _pretty_ weird."

Usagi gave her father an odd look and glanced at her mother, who was sitting on the couch with her arms propping up her head. "Papa, where is my birth certificate?"

Kenji gritted his teeth and nervously tapped his fingers on the wooden surface of the table. "It's safely put away."

"Where?"

"In a box in the basement."

"That's what mama said when I asked her, and the certificate I found turned out to be a fake."

"Oh." Kenji stole a glance at his wife. "Then it's in the attic."

"Everything was cleared out of the attic to make space for Chibiusa."

Kenji sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "You know what, it doesn't even matter where it is, because you're not going overseas," he said, nodding his head decisively as if that were the end of the argument. He made a move to go over to the couch to comfort Ikuko, but Usagi preemptively blocked his path.

"Wait," Usagi gave him a stern look, "you and mama never answer any questions I have about my birth certificate. You either ignore me or try to change the subject. Why is that? Why don't you tell me anything?" She was about to ask another question when she heard her mother let out a little sob. "And why is mama crying?"

A sort of strangled look flashed across Kenji's face. Without a word, he brushed past Usagi and sat down next to Ikuko, resting a hand on her shoulder.

Usagi regarded her parents with a look of pity and confusion. _'They look like someone died.'_ The thought reminded her of Chibiusa's condition, but she steeled herself against the tears that were threatening to spill out. It didn't make sense. Why couldn't they just tell her about her birth certificate? Did the original get ruined somehow and they were too ashamed to admit it? Though they didn't display it much, Ikuko and Kenji were prone to clumsy moments just like their daughter. "Mama... papa..."

"Usagi, please," Kenji's voice was quiet and weak, "there are just some things you don't need to know."

Usagi visibly crumbled at those words. She lowered her head, letting her blonde bangs cast a shadow over her eyes. Things she didn't need to know? Is that what the Inner Senshi thought too? She gritted her teeth, balling up her hands into fists. She was tired of being protected from the truth. _She_ was the protector. _Not_ the protected. Not to mention, the future queen of the planet. If she wanted answers, she would get them. "This isn't fair."

Ikuko sniffled and listlessly twirled a strand of blue hair around her pinky finger. "Usagi, please don't do this to u—" She cut herself off when she heard a sniffle. She looked up and saw tears streaming down Usagi's face. "...Usa—"

"You know, while I was walking home, all I wanted to do was spend more time with my family. Even Shingo, who's a total brat." A wry laugh escaped her lips. "I wanted to make up for all the fun family times I missed out on to hang out with my friends."

"Usagi..." Kenji was unnerved by his daughter's melancholy tone.

"But now, I don't know if I want to spend time with family members who keep secrets from me," she said, ignoring the hypocrisy in her words.

Ikuko felt her heart breaking as she covered her mouth with her hands. "Usagi!"

Usagi raised her head, letting her parents see her angry, tear-filled eyes. "I've had enough pain and heartbreak for today. When I came home, I wanted to be around my loving, _honest_ parents, but you won't even answer a simple question of mine!" she huffed, wiping away her tears with her sleeve. After giving a look of sad disappointment to her parents, she turned on her heel and headed for the door.

"W-Where are you going?" Ikuko questioned, reaching out for the blonde.

"I'm going to go spend time with people I can actually trust," Usagi said, slipping on her shoes, hoping neither of them would see through her bluff.

Kenji shot up from his seat and rushed over to Usagi, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Usagi, wait."

They didn't.

Usagi smirked inwardly, and let herself be led over to the couch in the living room. However, she took a seat opposite to the one her parents were sitting on so she could stare them down.

"Alright." Kenji sank down into the couch with a sigh, rubbing his temples.

Ikuko gave him a horrified, pleading look, but Kenji responded with a weary, resolved expression before turning back to his daughter.

"The reason we don't answer questions about your birth certificate is because it's with your mother."

Usagi looked at him curiously, eventually shifting her gaze to Ikuko. "But... But you told me to look in the basement..."

Ikuko shook her head, then turned away from the blonde. "Not me."

Confused and a little worried, Usagi faced her father with scared eyes. "What are you trying to tell me?"

"We," Kenji wrapped an arm around his crying wife, "are not your parents."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Ikuko shot up from the couch, tears blurring her vision as she dashed out of the living room. The sight concerned Usagi, but Kenji looked calm, if not a little sad, as if he expected that kind of reaction.

 _'Not my parents?'_ "So... So what you're saying is..." Usagi brushed a trembling hand through her bangs, "I'm adopted?" The question came out as a squeak. She definitely wasn't expecting _that_ answer. Minako's theory from the other day popped into her mind; she never would have guessed that it was true!

"Not... exactly. You see," Kenji lifted up his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose, gathering the courage to say the words that held the truth of an event that happened nearly 16 years ago, "we stole you."

* * *

Setsuna Meiou was on her knees, hunched over in pain on the floor, and breathing heavily. "Impossible..." she muttered, clutching the side of her head and grabbing a fistful of dark green hair. "How could this have happened?" She took a deep breath and forced herself to sit in a proper position. She was glad Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru weren't around to see the sorry state she was in. Plus, she wouldn't have to explain the reason for her breakdown. She propped her hand against the wall and slowly stood to her feet. Her scarlet eyes were brimming with premature tears, but she clenched her fist and fought against them. As the daughter of a god, and the Guardian of Time itself, she could not afford to be so weak.

 _Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!_

The Plutonian Senshi cringed at the incessant banging on the front door. It couldn't have been any of her fellow Outer Senshi (though Haruka was a likely candidate) since they all had keys to the house. _'Who could possibly be here at this hour?'_ she wondered, reluctantly leaving the comfort of her room and headed downstairs.

 _Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!_

Setsuna swallowed a groan and steeled her eyes. _'What unruly being could be knocking like that?'_ she wondered, turning the golden knob of the door. Could it be one of Michiru's students? Or maybe one of Hotaru's new admirers?

"Puu!"

Or perhaps a little girl with fists like hammers... "Small Lady?"

Chibiusa ran up to Setsuna and tugged on the bottom of her dress. "Puu! You have to help me!"

"What's wrong?" Concerned, Setsuna knelt down to the panicked child. Now that she was getting a good look at her, Setsuna noticed her princess' sickly appearance: Her skin had lost its peachy tone and was now an insipid dull gray color. Her bubblegum pink hair, with its puffy pigtails was now a dull pink and the pigtails drooped down her back as if she had been doused with water. And her eyes... Her ruby red eyes that nearly matched her own garnet ones had lost their cheery shine, the same shine that existed within the pure-hearted Messiah's eyes.

"You have to send me back home!" the pink-haired girl cried. "You have to send me back to the 30th century!"

The Soldier of Revolution's eyes widened, then darted to the side. "Why so soon?"

"Please! I don't have much ti—" The torturous tingling sensation shot through her body again as her form destabilized just as it did at the shrine, forcing her to release Setsuna and fall to her knees in pain.

Setsuna's mouth hung open in horror. "Small Lady!" She reached out to touch the princess, but to her dismay, her hand went right through her. _'She's like a ghost!'_

When her form re-stabilized, Chibiusa looked up at the older woman with tears streaming down her pale face. "They changed the future, Puu..." She sniffled, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "Mamo-chan and Minako-chan... Because of them, I won't be born!"

"The Prince and Sailor Venus did _what?!_ " the green-haired woman exclaimed. _'So, it was **them**.'_

"Quickly, Puu! You have to send me back home so mama can use her power to save me! Maybe her Silver Moon Crystal can sustain my life!"

Setsuna snapped her eyes shut and jerked her head away. "I'm afraid... that is not possible."

Chibiusa's pale face scrunched up in confusion and fear. "Why not?!"

Tears were once again threatening to spill from Setsuna's eyes. _'No. **Stop** it. You **must** be strong.' _Clearing her throat, she hesitantly brought her eyes back to the princess. "Because there is no home to send you back to. I cannot see Crystal Tokyo anymore."

Chibiusa's mouth hung open and trembled. "That... that can't... No, it can't be!"

"And what's worse is..." Setsuna choked back a sob with a groan, but allowed a few tears to stream down her tan face. "I cannot see a future where you exist."

Chibiusa's face turned even paler, if that was even possible. "I... I won't exist?" she asked, her voice becoming squeaky with grief. With a growl, she lowered her head to the carpeted floor. This wasn't fair! Despite being 902 years old, she felt she hadn't truly lived her life, and now she never would. She would never reach the physical age of 14, officially become Sailor Moon and prove herself as a Soldier protected by the moonlight. She would never hang out with the Quartet and reminisce on all the fun times they had in their youth. She would never sit on her mother's throne and become the first queen who was a descendant of the Earth and Moon. She would never see Helios again and claim him as her prince. And most of all... she would never tell Usagi how much she meant to her.

"Those damn girls," she growled out. Though Minako was the one who threatened her existence, Ami, Rei, and Makoto were just as guilty. How could they possibly think that keeping the secret of the Earth Prince's infidelity was a good idea? Even if they didn't want to hurt Usagi with the news, they were hurting her more by letting her think she was in a relationship with someone who loved her. And how could they _not_ have worried about the possibility of her fading from existence sooner? Ami especially should have been the one to realize that if something should happen to severely damage the relationship of the people who would give birth to her, then she wouldn't be born. 300 I.Q. points, down the drain.

And Mamoru... She still could not believe that the caped crusader would do something so heinous. From what she was told, Mamoru had attracted a lot of admirers, from Queen Beryl to Fisheye, yet he never returned their advances. So why was it that he returned Minako's? Was it because she was so similar to Usagi? Did he have a thing for spirited blondes? Whatever the reason, he clearly didn't give her existence any thought. How could he have done this to her? She was his daughter!

Once again, a tingling sensation assaulted her body as she flickered in and out of existence. "Puu... please..." her voice was soft and raspy. "Help me..." she begged, looking up at the woman she viewed as a mother figure with watery eyes.

Setsuna's heart broke at the sight, but she steeled herself as best she could. "I am sorry, Small Lady. But I do not possess such power," she admitted, her voice sounding more despondent than she preferred. "And as the Guardian of Time, I understand better than anyone that the future is not set in stone and is always changing."

Chibiusa weakly shook her head, refusing to believe what the Soldier of Pluto was saying. "No! Surely there must be a way to change my fate!"

"I'm afraid your fate was permanently changed when the prince betrayed Usagi-san."

The fading princess slowly brought her eyes back down to the floor and started hyperventilating. _'No... No... No, no, no, no, no, NO!'_ She clasped her hands together and got down on one knee; the pose reminded her of when she used to summon Pegasus with the Crystal Carillon. Moments later, the air shimmered in front of her and her Pink Moon Crystal materialized.

"Small Lady, what are you...?"

Chibiusa let her crystal hover above her open palms. "This is my only hope," she said, raising her crystal up high. _'Please, Pink Moon Crystal! Please save my life!'_ The crystal heeded its master's silent prayer and gave off a brilliant display of pink light, momentarily blinding the two women. Chibiusa let out a shaky sigh, feeling the changes being wrought on her. Her skin had regained its peachy color, her hair sprang back into its normal puffy style and had even regained its bubblegum pink shade, and her eyes had gotten their shine back.

When the Pink Moon Crystal's light had died down, Setsuna marveled at the pink-haired girl's restored healthy appearance, even letting some happy tears fall. "It worked!"

Chibiusa was also crying tears of joy. She had saved her own life with her own power. She may not be Sailor Moon, but she certainly felt like it at that moment. Now, with her Pink Moon Crystal, she would be able to fight the new enemy and protect Usagi until she was able to transform again.

 _Krrrrk!_

A strange noise made Chibiusa and Setsuna flinch, sounding like an odd mix between glass shattering and a sword being unsheathed.

"Small Lady..."

"Hm?" Chibiusa noticed that the Guardian of Time had a worried look on her face, a look she had never seen before. When she followed the gaze of her garnet red eyes, her breath caught in her throat. "The Pink Moon Crystal..."

"It's cracked..." Setsuna completed the sentence.

The Pink Moon Crystal, indeed, had a crack along its petal-like folds. Seconds later, another crack appeared. Then another, and another, until veins of spider-like cracks appeared all over its surface. When Chibiusa tried to touch it, the crystal flared brightly, as if angry with its owner. It continued to shine brighter and brighter, blinding Setsuna and forcing the green-haired woman to shield her eyes, but Chibiusa was still able to witness this violent display of light. The sickening sound of cracks filled the room and with a show of pink light, the Pink Moon Crystal shattered, with its shards falling to the floor.

Chibiusa sank to her knees and looked at the shards of her crystal in horror. Her Sailor Crystal, the object her soul was tied to, was destroyed. With tears streaming down her face, she picked up a few shards, then let them fall back on the ground with a sob.

Once Setsuna was able to see again, she was horrified to see a weeping Chibiusa kneeling before pink crystal shards. "Oh Chronos..." she gasped. What a fool she'd been, letting her guard down and thinking that the situation had been resolved so easily. How could she have forgotten the lessons her father and Queen Serenity had taught her?

"...Why?" Chibiusa questioned, her tone sounding neither scared nor sad. She was slumped over like a lifeless doll, looking at nothing else but her shattered crystal, showing almost no reaction when the shards dissipated into sparkling pink lights that vanished into thin air. "Why did this happen, Puu?"

Setsuna swallowed, choking back the shuddering sob that threatened to break out of her throat, and schooled her features into an emotionless visage. "You are no longer meant to exist, therefore your crystal will not exist either."

"I see," Chibiusa stated in an emotionless tone. A golden glow surrounded her body as it once again became transparent. Though, unlike last time, it did not re-stabilize. Her body slowly turned into sparkling gold lights that floated upwards until they faded to nothingness.

"Small Lady!" Setsuna exclaimed, allowing fear and worry to show on her elegant features.

To Setsuna's surprise, Chibiusa started giggling. "Oh well! I guess that's it for me!" She looked up at the Plutonian Senshi with teary eyes, but also a small smile. "It was really great, coming here to the past and spending time with you all, _and_ being able to act like a normal kid instead of a princess! And meeting everyone's younger selves was as weird as it was fun!" Her voice shook a bit. "I'm really glad I met you, Puu."

Setsuna could not control the flow of tears that fell helplessly from her eyes this time. "Chibiusa..." she whispered, calling the fading girl by her nickname for the very first time.

"What's really going to bug me is how Usagi is going to take this! She's such a crybaby, she'll be bawling for days!" Her voice broke off into a sob, as she was no longer able to keep up her happy facade. She lowered her head to the carpet, her shoulders shaking with every sob. As the last of her body vanished into floating, golden lights, Chibiusa sniffled and looked up with a forlorn expression.

The key events of the past 900 years of her life flashed through her mind: Falling from the sky into the 21st century, generating her own Silver Crystal and becoming Sailor Chibi Moon for the first time, meeting Hotaru and making a treasured friend, helping Pegasus find his beautiful maiden, and earlier, giving Usagi one last hug.

"Don't forget about me, mama." Her childish face, stained with tears, finally dissipated into golden lights that soon vanished completely, leaving no trace of the girl it used to be.

* * *

"Damn it!" Setsuna was face down in a pillow, crying her eyes out, and punching the bed.

After Chibiusa faded from existence, she finally let the dam break and broke down in tears. She was so distraught, she couldn't find the strength to move on her own, having to summon her Garnet Rod to help her up the steps. She chastised herself for misusing the sacred item of the royal family of Pluto, but her misery over the future Moon Senshi's death took precedence over her code of honor. She berated herself over and over again for not being able to help the pink-haired princess. Her, the Demigoddess Daughter of Chronos, with powers over Space-Time couldn't save one little girl.

And how could she have been so heartless to her, telling her that time was always changing and that she couldn't see a future where she existed? It was the truth, but the girl was _dying,_ and instead of providing words of comfort during her final moments or even _trying_ to do something to help her, she just spouted out cold, hard facts. Sobbing even louder, she tightly clutched the pillow she was crying in. "Small Lady..."

 **~0~**

 _Walking through the halls of Charon Castle on Pluto, was a young girl, appearing no older than 10, with a tan complexion, long dark green hair with a single bun on top and a garnet red symbol of Pluto burning on her brow. She wore a black strap dress that flowed past her feet with matching, elbow-length gloves._

 _"Tempus!"_

 _Princess Tempus of Pluto whipped around to see another 10-year old girl jogging up to her._

 _She had a tan complexion like the princess, long black hair with a red sheen tied up in a high ponytail, and blazing orange eyes. She wore an outfit that seemed a tad inappropriate for someone her age: a blood red, strapless dress that flowed past her feet with a diamond-shaped keyhole bust line and mid-thigh slits on both sides, showing off her tan legs, with black elbow-length gloves. Around her waist, was a black sash with a garnet red Pluto symbol motif. Her footwear consisted of black, open-toed heels._

 _"What is it, Daleila?" the princess questioned._

 _"You're not going to believe this!_ _The Queen of the Silver Millennium is here!_ _" Daleila squealed. "She wants to speak with you!"_

 _The young princess' garnet red eyes widened. "Really?" She had heard of her from her father before, but Tempus had never met the Moon Queen in person, though she was curious about the woman with a power that rivaled her father's own._

 _"She's waiting downstairs in the parlor room!" Daleila took Tempus' hands and led her down the hall. "Let's go!"_

 **~0~**

 _Queen Serenity sat patiently in Charon Castle's parlor room as she waited for the Crown Princess of Pluto to arrive. She rhythmically tapped her fingers on her lap, feeling anxious about the news she was about to deliver. 'Curse Chronos for making me do this when it should be him.' She shut her eyes and groaned internally, but they popped back open when she finally heard footsteps descending from the staircase. She smiled when she saw two 10-year old girls approach her and curtsy._ _"Thank you for bringing Princess Tempus here, Lady Daleila."_

 _The noble girl bowed to the silver-haired queen. "It was no problem, Queen Serenity." Daleila then scurried off, letting her princess and the Moon Queen speak privately._

 _"It's nice to meet you, Princess Tempus. Here, have a seat." Queen Serenity patted the space next to her on the long seat._

 _Shyly, Tempus made her way over to the Moon Queen and sat next to her. Though she could tell the queen was a kind, gentle woman, she felt intimidated by the regal poise and elegance she carried, along with a certain grace she thought she herself would never attain. "So, what brings you to Pluto, Your Majesty?"_

 _"Have you been in contact with your father lately?"_

 _The Plutonian Princess looked downcast. "No... It is not exactly easy to contact the almighty God of Time."_

 _Serenity felt pity for the Demigoddess Princess. She did not quite understand what it was like to have a divine parent you barely saw. She herself was an incarnation of a Moon Goddess, not a daughter of one. "Well... He sent me here to aid you in a task he wants you to take up."_

 _"M-My father wants me to perform a special task?"_

 _The Moon Queen nodded. She held out her hand and the air shimmered above her palm, materializing into a small, purple device. "This tool, once held by your mother, will aid you in your task."_

 _Tempus gingerly accepted the purple device from the Lunarian Queen and held it in her small, gloved hands. She regarded it with a look of_ _curiosity, noticing how it resembled a lipstick rod. Why would the queen give this to her? She was only 201 years old, far too young for lipstick._

 _"Now follow me, princess, and I'll lead you to your post."_

 **~0~**

 _By the Moon Queen's power, she and the Plutonian Princess were transported to a place with mysterious fog._

 _Princess Tempus rubbed her arms as if it would get rid of the goosebumps. 'What is this place?'_ _she wondered, unnerved by how desolate the space was. It was eerie, empty, and lonely. The sight of the endless fog sent chills down her spine._

 _"This will be your post," Queen Serenity said._

 _Tempus looked to the queen with shock. Such a dismal place would be where she would carry out her duties?! Nevertheless, she followed the queen until they reached a peculiar door with the phases of the moon carved on it._

 _"This is the Door of Space-Time," Serenity explained, running a hand along the edge of the door. "Through this door, one may travel through time and even visit alternate timelines. Your responsibility," she turned to the young princess with a serious expression, "is to annihilate anyone who attempts to."_

 _Tempus' mouth popped open. "W-What?"_

 _"Now, take out the tool I gave you earlier and speak the incantation I taught you."_

 _Hesitantly, Tempus took out the lipstick rod-like object and raised it high. "Pluto Planet Power, Make Up!" A column of wind surrounded her form as she felt her royal gown being replaced by a much draftier outfit. The wind eventually subsided and Tempus could see herself in her new attire. She wore a black and maroon uniform she had occasionally seen on her mother, and around her waist was a silver chain with multiple keys hanging from it. Clutched in her hand was the royal item passed through the generations of the Plutonian royal family, the Garnet Rod._

 _"Princess Tempus, or rather, Sailor Pluto. Your duty, assigned to you by your father Chronos, the God of Time, is to stay here by the Door as the Guardian of Space-Time," Queen Serenity informed. "Those keys around your waist are very special. They will allow you to travel through time. Only a **very** select few are allowed to wield such artifacts."_

 _The newly-transformed Sailor Pluto nervously gripped her key-like staff. "But... I don't understand! How will I be able to govern Pluto if I also must stay by this door?"_

 _Serenity gave the young soldier a sad look. "I'm afraid you won't be able to." The Lunarian Queen went on to explain exactly what it meant to be a Guardian of Time. She was never to leave her post or have any visitors. She was to stay by the Door for the rest of her life and kill anyone who approached. She then explained the three sacred taboos that she must never **ever** break: She was to guard the Door of Space-Time at all times, never allow anyone to time travel, and the third most important taboo, never disrupt the flow of time in any way, for if she did, she would die._

 _Pluto sank to her knees, using her Garnet Rod to prevent her from falling face down. She couldn't believe her father would assign her with such a task. He was making her give up her whole life. Was he ashamed of her? Did he regret having a half-mortal child with a Plutonian Queen and was using this opportunity to make sure no one knew about her existence?_

 _"I know this is a lot to force on a young girl, but a_ _s his only child with unique powers over Time and Space, you are the only one your father trusts to carry out such a responsibility." When she saw her words had no effect on the young soldier, she rested a hand on top of her head. "Take heart, young one. I am absolutely certain you will do a splendid job as the Guardian of Time."_

 _Pluto sniffled and looked up at the Moon Queen with garnet eyes brimming with premature tears._

 _Queen Serenity smiled and looked to the orb atop the Garnet Rod. "You know, there is a way to make things less gloomy."  
_

 _"There is?"_

 _"Yes. Just raise your Garnet Rod and say, 'Abracadabra'!"_

 _Sailor Pluto gave the queen an odd look, but followed her instruction. "Abracadabra!" The Garnet Orb atop the rod glowed and before she knew it, there was a burst of flowers and white doves flying around. "How funny." She giggled. Little did she know, she would teach the phrase to another princess nearly two millennia later._

 _Queen Serenity gave the girl another pat on the head. "I'm sure you'll do just fine, Small Lady."_

 **~0~**

 _800 years later, a now adult Sailor Pluto stood by the Door of Space-Time and stared out into the endless fog. She had gotten used to eerie silence after the first several hundred years, musing that Princess Eldora would appreciate the tranquility. Ever since Queen Serenity brought her to the door, she had not had a single visitor. But it wasn't all bad; from her post, she could watch what was happening from beyond her assigned spot so she could keep up with the world's events. She even had an eye on Pluto, pleased that the noble family she put in charge was doing a good job of governing her planet._

 _Her surveillance was cut short when she felt someone else's presence. "Halt! Trespassers are not welcome here!" she warned, readying her Garnet Rod to strike the intruder. "Those who break the taboo and enter this realm must be eliminated!" Clouds swirled around the glowing Garnet Orb. "Dead—"_

 _"Please don't hurt me!"_

 _Pluto halted. Was that a child's voice? What business did a child have, being in such a restricted area? With a wave of her gloved hand, some of the fog cleared and Pluto could see the invader._

 _It was a young girl. Given her 10-year old appearance, Pluto concluded she was around 200 years old. She had blonde hair styled into two buns on top with pigtails that brushed past her shoulders, sapphire blue eyes filled with fear, and a golden crescent moon on her forehead. She wore a white regal gown with puffy shoulder pieces, an intricately decorated bodice with gold hoops, and the bust was defined by a row of golden beads. "I'm so sorry! I didn't know I wasn't supposed to be here!"_

 _Pluto softened and her grip on her Garnet Rod slackened. "It's ok. I am not going to hurt you, Princess Serenity."_

 _"You know who I am?"_

 _"Of course," Pluto responded. "How did you get here, princess?"_

 _Princess Serenity blushed as she fiddled with her fingers. "Well... I was chasing after my cat, Luna when I got lost and came upon a room with a strange door in it. I thought my cat went through the door, so I went through it myself and ended up here."_

 _Pluto blinked several times. This princess ended up in a restricted space that no one, other than her father and Queen Serenity knew about, because she got lost after chasing a cat. The scenario was so funny, Pluto couldn't help but let out a few giggles. "Well, I can assure you, your cat is not here."_

 _"T-Thank you," the Moon Princess stuttered. "...By the way, who are you?"_

 _Though Pluto's existence was meant to be a secret, she knew she could trust those of the Royal Moon Family line._ _"I am Sailor Pluto, the Solder of Revolution."_

 **~0~**

 _After that first encounter, Princess Serenity had become a frequent visitor. The Princess of the Silver Millennium could not stand the idea of someone being alone for all eternity and broke the rules for the sake of the Guardian of Time's happiness._

 _Pluto had become very fond of the young princess. She was a ray of sunshine in the dreariness that surrounded the Door of Space-Time, entertaining Pluto with stories of her antics in the Moon Castle, including how she often stole sweets from the royal kitchen. Pluto had already seen the theft occur from her post and had laughed herself silly when the queen caught her stuffing her face with the stolen confectioneries. In turn, Pluto entertained the princess with her "Abracadabra" spell, taking pleasure in the Moon Princess' cheerful reactions._

 _One day, Princess Serenity entered Pluto's domain, looking rather glum._

 _"What is the matter, princess?" Pluto questioned._

 _"Pluto, am I worthless for not having power like my mother?" Serenity asked quietly. "Am I a pathetic excuse for a princess?"_

 _"Heavens, no!" Pluto knelt down to the young princess. "Why would you think such things?"_

 _"Some of the noble children think I'm useless for not having powers and I wouldn't grow up to be a proper lady like mother..."_

 _Pluto rested a hand on the princess' shoulder. "That is nonsense. One does not need to have magical powers to be a fine lady."_

 _"But **you** have powers, and **you're** a fine lady!"_

 _Pluto was surprised by the princess' words, touched that she thought so highly of her. "I am shaped by my experiences and close relationships, not by my abilities. And I am sure it will be the same for you."_

 _"You really think so?"_

 _"I do. I have faith in you, Small Lady."_

 **~0~**

Setsuna sniffled and sat upright, wiping the tears from her eyes. She could hear chatting downstairs and knew her fellow Outer Senshi had returned, but she wasn't ready to face them. She couldn't break the news to them yet, especially not to Hotaru.

She glowered as she clutched her pillow even tighter. When she was in a better state of mind, she would _definitely_ give the Earth Prince and the Senshi of Venus a piece of her mind. But right now, she was hurting. A part of her chastised herself for letting herself get close to others. She was meant to be a solitary soldier. She wasn't supposed to have friends. But... those friends allowed her to experience life beyond her post and gave her a family, and for that, she would be forever grateful.

With a sigh, the green-haired woman dragged herself out of bed and went over to her open window, where a shaft of moonlight poured in. _'She's not small anymore, but she's the only lady I have left.'_ Poking her head out the window, she looked up at the shining white moon. "I'll protect her. I promise," she swore to the moon. And for a second, Setsuna could swear it glimmered in response.

* * *

A/N: I am a sadist. Yea or nay? Now, review! :D


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